SIP Newly Elected Officers:
SIP President:
John Peregoy
SIP President Elect:
Mark Daniels
APA Counsel Observer:
Doug McDonald
Student Representatives:
Martha Vlasoff and
Matt Jones
SIP website:
http://geocities.com/indianpsy
ch/
SIP Conference
By Jolene M. Firmin
ANPsych, UAA
Looking Out the Opening of the Teepee
By John Peregoy
Society of Indian Psychologists
This summer marks my first
attendance at the Annual Con-
vention of the Society of In-
dian Psychologists. I had a
wonderful experience at the
Bear Lake Retreat prior to the
convention and at the conven-
tion itself. The few days spent
at Bear Lake were a great way
to relax and prepare for all
there was to learn in the days
ahead of us. Though it was
difficult for me at first, I did
get to meet many new people
with whom I later began ex-
changing stories with, shared
interests with, and even went
horseback riding with. In at-
tendance over the weekend
was a special guest, Ken Bor-
deaux, an elder who
brought a very special and
very important feature to the
convention with his talking
circles and blessings. Each of
the speakers at the convention
presented valuable informa-
tion for those working in the
field and those who aspire to
work in the field. At the busi-
ness meeting I was able to
gather with the individuals
who make up the Society of
Indian Psychologists and even
participate in their discus-
sions. After the convention, I
returned to Alaska with many
notes, new ideas, and new
friends. Thank you for a great
and unique learning experi-
ence.
for the retirement of Ameri-
can Indian mascots, symbols,
images and personalities by
schools, colleges, universities,
athletic teams and organiza-
tions.
Planning will begin soon
for the first independent SIP
conference. Several of us are
searching for funds for future
conferences. Remember, do-
nations made to SIP are tax
deductible (cont. on page 4).
I greet each of you and
wish you well, to be healthy,
and have a prosperous New
Year. I’ve titled this column
with the vision of the multi-
tude of stars that grace our
heavens as we see them look-
ing out of our Teepee. They
represent some of the many
things to accomplish this year,
and many things that have
transpired during the past
year. We have had several of
our friends and mentors pass
on, we pray for them and for
their guidance.
This past August I had
the opportunity to address the
governing council of APA at
the Washington D. C. confer-
ence. I asked for their support
in calling for the retirement of
Indian mascots. As a result of
the work of many members of
SIP, as many of you know, in
October APA officially called
Newsletter Date
Volume 1, Issue 1
Mashsi’ yeendaa ji’ gwinzii
gwandaii haa nakhwan
(Thank you and best
wishes).
Eating Disorder Symptomatology among Alaska Native/American
Indian and Caucasian Females
sponsoring the SIP Annual Conven-
tion, please contact :
John Peregoy (peregoyjj@aol.com)
or Candace Fleming
(candace.fleming@uchsc.edu).
For the past 18 years, the SIP Annual
Convention has been funded by the
Indian Health Services (IHS) and
Utah State University (USU).]
During the 18th Annual SIP Conven-
tion, a question was raised in whether
there could be a possibility that the
convention would pay future present-
ers for their time and contribution.
If anyone knows of any grant funding
sources or opportunities, or even or-
ganizations interested in possibly co-
no significant differences found among
the Native and Caucasian participants
with regard to eating disorder. symptoma-
tology. Rather, eating disorder symptoma-
tology was present in both Native and
Caucasian female college students at rates
similar to that of previous studies.
Pamela Deters, Ph.D.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore
differences in eating disorder symptoma-
tology among a matched sample of 100
Alaska Native/American Indian and Cau-
casian female university students, using a
demographic instrument and the Eating
Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Four (8.0%)
Native participants
and ten (20.0%) Cau-
casian participants
met or exceeded the
EAT-26 cutoff score
indicative of clini-
cally significant eat-
ing disorder sympto-
matology. There were
Funding for SIP Annual Convention:
SIP Conference 2005
Page 2
Society of Indian Psychologists Newsletter
For the 18th year in a row Carolyn
Barcus and her staff did a wonderful
job at organizing the conference and
keeping it running smoothly and on
time -- I'm not sure what
she would do without that drum of hers
that announces her presence and "calls
to order." The presentations were
timely, relevant, well organized and
delivered with rich and poignant con-
tent. The varied posters, too, were
filled with interesting research findings
and information. As always, the Re-
treat at Bear Lake was a true spiritual
and family experience filled with lots
of fascinating conversation and discus-
sions; the food and its preparation were
first class and I thank those who took
the time to keep the kitchen fires burn-
ing and making certain everyone was
fed in abundance. Ken Bordeaux
("Three Eagles - Wanbli Yamni), the
traditional Teton Lakota "Bearer of the
Sacred Pipe," was nothing short of out-
standing in his talk and discussions
with numerous conference partici-
pants. His willingness and interest in
spending time with us in the evenings,
at meals, and at casual moments was a
testament to his commitment to pass-
ing along traditions and advise. His
stories were riveting as they were
filled with sage advice. memories, and
wisdom. Those of us who had the op-
portunity to spend time with him were
blessed indeed by his presence, his
knowledge, and his gifts. And we will
not forget the honoring of the es-
teemed 85 year old psychologist, Dr.
Ethel Tobach, by SIP's Executive
Committee with the generous and
thoughtful spiritual assistance of Ken
Bordeaux; Becky and Dan's singing of
an honor song for Ethel certainly will
stay with me for a long time as it will
with Ethel. For those of you who were
not able to attend the conference this
year please plan to attend next year as
it promises to be more extensive and
engaging. Finally, I cannot begin to
tell you the wonderful feelings I ex-
perienced as I sat around the camp
fire at the "Horse Camp" up in the
mountains listening to a bunch of
folks tell one story after another all
the while soaking in the beauty and
solitude of the forest and the warmth
of the fire. The occasional howling of
a coyote, too, added to the ambience
of the beautiful setting -- I didn't want
to come home and was saddened by
the thought. But I could hear Caro-
lyn's drum calling us so I knew we
would have to break camp and head to
Logan for the start of the convention
on Monday. Thank you all for making
my experience and time at the con-
vention and retreat a memorable one.
In spirit,
Joseph Peregoy, SIP President
Interview with Howard Rainer
Interview by Daisy Henry ANPsych UAF
Health Association, you can contact
them directly at
Phone: 406.732.4240
Fax: 406.732.9960
Address: 103 Four Winds Lane
P.O. Box 345
Babb, MT 59411
E-mail: admin@fnbha.org
The First Nations Behavioral Health
Association was established to pro-
vide an organization for Native
American indigenous people to advo-
cate for the mental well-being of Na-
tive peoples by increasing the knowl-
edge and awareness of issues impact-
ing Native mental health.
The purpose of the First Nations Be-
havioral Health Association s to pro-
vide national leadership to all groups
institutions, and individuals that plan,
provide, and access Native American
behavioral health services.
Become a member of the First Nations
Behavioral Health Association today
and receive the following member
benefits: be eligible for the consultant
pool, participate in the fam-
ily/professional list serve, communi-
cate regularly with other AI/AN pro-
fessionals, receive updates on federal
initiatives which impact services in
Indian Country, and have a conduit for
your voice to be heard at a national
level!
If you are interested in learning more
about the First Nations Behavioral
tive message they can have happy
productive life. Sometimes it only
takes one presentation and someone
will call or e mail that they are on
their way.
8. What would you tell a young
woman or man just starting out in
their college careers and/or new
jobs? I would admonish our Native
people to make sure they start out
with self confidence. When
you feel good about yourself, you can
tackle any college or any job. Self
confidence comes from trying your
best and getting out of your com-
fort zone. College for our Native
people is a real test of self confidence
and courage. I commend those daring
Native men and women who
are making the sacrifices to obtain a
college degree or get specialized
training. Having self confidence is a
great challenge for some of our Na-
tive people because they have been
discouraged by people and not been
given the chance to show what talent
1. What is your full name? Howard
Rainer
2. Indian Name and meaning? I
have received several Indian names,
one that given to me in Canada was,
"He who travels well" I was prom-
ised by a spiritual leader that my
many journeys would have protection
and I would depart and arrive in
safety .
3. Where are you from? Originally
from Taos Pueblo, New Mexico
near Santa Fe, New Mexico
4. Family? I come from a vary hon-
orable family that have always been
involved in service or education.
5. What do you do and for how
long? I have been the program ad-
ministrator for the Native Ameri-
can Outreach Program at Brigham
Young University for over twenty
years.
6. What do you use as inspiration?
My inspiration working with Native
Americans for over 30 years has come
from my desires to have the Creator
God be a constant influence in my
life. In all of my travels throughout
Indian country, I have seen his power
and spirit affect many whom I have
come in contact with. Inspiration
generates love and love is what I have
for Native youth and our people.
7. What’s hardest for you in your
work? I want so much for our people
to have opportunities in their lives and
to make the needed personal changes
that will bring them these opportuni-
ties. The challenge is to convince
many that they have the potential and
the ability. I desire to make a differ-
ence in young people's lives, but be-
cause of dysfunction in their home
life it is difficult to get this message
across, Those that listen and take
heed to my presentations I found
are doing positive things in their
lives. This is a great motivation to
keep going. I want to reach young
people who are ready to hear a posi-
First Nations Behavioral Health Association
Page 3
Volume 1, Issue 1
people. It is about telling Na-
tive youth to take a different look at
life and see what other Native peo-
ple are doing to make a difference
where they live. Every Native person
I believe can make a difference no
matter what they live. They can start
anytime they want regardless of age
or circumstance.
Native people I BELIEVE HAVE
GREAT INTELLIGENCE, ABIL-
ITY, AND TALENT AWAITING
TO BE USED! I know there can
be brighter days ahead for our people
if we want. I know each of us have a
purpose or mission to fulfill on earth,
I strongly believe that the Creator
God waits to hear from us concerning
our dreams and desires. I know
He wants to help us fulfill them.
I have always had powerful experi-
ences with the Alaska Native people.
It is an honor to know many of them
and I want so much for the Native
young people of Alaska to catch the
vision they too can make a difference!
and ability they really have!
9. Everyone has a turning point in
their lives, what was your turning
point? My turning point occurred
after a serious operation many years
ago. I told myself that when I left
the hospital that I was going to be a
different person. I vowed that I
would no longer worry what people
thought of me or how they looked at
me. I decided that I was going
to move on with my life and make a
difference. How powerful is positive
thinking!! How powerful is it when
one decides to include the Creator
in your life!! From that point on I
challenged myself to be the person I
wanted to be., Today I find many
who are waiting for their "turning
point" and I want to help
them discover what I found. When
you are ready, the your mind and
spirit is ready to follow!
10. Can you name a time in your life
where you had a rough time and how
did you get out of it? Who helped
you? When I was young I had a hard
time believing in myself. I had no
spiritual foundation or purpose in
life, The Creator blessed me with a
wonderful grandmother who believed
in me. She always reminded me that I
was loved and she saw good in me.
Through my struggles I remembered
her kind words that had impact on
me for my journey on Mother Earth.
I know the impact of one person mak-
ing a difference in our lives. I know
how powerful encouragement
and praise can make a difference in
one's life. I thank my grandmother
and parents for the love
and confidence they offered even
when I did not have the will to accept
it. I know now that I too can share
that same power and try to inspire and
uplift someone that needs some en-
couragement.
11. Is there anything you would like
to add to our newsletter?
We are in the final phase of producing
a CD for Native youth that I hope will
be source of inspiration and hope.
The presentation, "Every Native can
make a difference" is about the posi-
tive, the uplifting, the goodness of our
Interview with Howard Rainer continued
Peregoy cont. from page 1). A new category of mem-
bership will be added to the Society membership. This
will be the Institutional membership (annual donation is
$500). This membership will include placement of the
institutions name on the WEB site and on SIP letter-
head. In addition to this category, a corporate category
will also be added and enjoy the same privileges as the
institutional membership (annual donation of $1,000). I
would encourage those of you at training institutions to
approach your campuses regarding institutional member-
ship. For those of you with ties to businesses, corpora-
tions, and tribes I encourage you to get this information to
them so that they can begin thinking about SIP as a giving
opportunity.
This is a challenging time financially for SIP. In order
for us to survive as an organization supporting Indian/
Native students in training and putting forth Indian/Native
mental health issues before APA and other professional
organizations we must all become creative and put forth
concerted efforts to identify and secure future funding. I
invite each of you to help in identifying potential funding
sources and working towards creating financial security
for SIP.
John J. Peregoy, Ph.D.
Morehead State University
B305 Ginger Hall
Morehead, Kentucky 40351
E-Mail: j.peregoy@moreheadstate.edu
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0