Diversity on the Helping Professions presentation for university students learning to be counselors and helpers, at Alaska Pacific University in 2012.

1. Balance

2. I am going to speak to
you
from my own heart now

3. And tell what I believe

4. I am going to draw upon
things I have learned from
elders

5. My words should not
reflect poorly on any of
them,

6. And if I make mistakes,
they are my own mistakes
It is not my intent to
offend anyone.

7. Here is why I believe it is
important for us to study
diversity

8. Each human being is
different

9. We come from many
different “cultures.”

10. We have have discussed
the cultures of
men and women

11. Religions

12. Ethnicity

13. National origin

14. Sexual orientation

15. Regional
upbringing

16. Personality
differences

17. Differing abilities

18. and so on….

19. Each of these groups,
or “cultures,”
represents a set of
talents and attributes.

20. which help to make this
world a better place for
all of us.

21. we are all connected to
one another

22. like the parts of your
body

23. like the mountains

24. the valleys

25. the forests

26. the prairies

27. and the seas

28. of the Earth

29. each person

30. each group

31. has something to offer

32. and we need
each of those talents

33. Here is one way to look
at this.

34. My friend and
Elder
RitaBlumenstein
Rita and Bernie Blumenstein

35. spoke to me of the
Medicine Wheel
about 25 years
ago.

36. I have seen and heard
and read many other ways
of describing the
Medicine Wheel,
but I am going to use her
description here

37. and then add some other
concepts I have learned
from others.
These are symbols and
metaphors
which help to illustrate
ideas.

38. In this way of looking at a
Medicine Wheel,
There are
Four peoples
Four Directions
Four colors

39. The people of the North
are represented by the
color white

40. Their gift is the Fire

41. Because of them, we
have such things as the
internal combustion
engine
and other material things
based on the initial use
of fire for production.

42. The people of the East
are represented by the
color yellow.

43. They bring the gift of
Wind.

44. Among the benefits we
can see in the world are
such things as
“pranayama” or breathing

45. The people of the West
are represented by the
color black.

46. Their gift is the Earth.

47. We may think of farming
and growing things in the
rich, dark soil.

48. The people of the South
are represented by the
color red.

49. Their gift is Water.

50. Among the benefits of
this direction is the
ability to sail long
distances across the sea.

51. In this picture you
can see that there
are two lines crossing
the Medicine Wheel.

52. Another Elder told me
that these represent the
two roads.

53. The Red
Road

54. and the Black Road

55. One is the road of

56. One is the material road

57. In this
Medicine
Wheel, there
are lines
crossing in a

58. known in the Southwest
as the God’s eye
pattern.

59. A person walking on
either the red road or the
black road needs to be
able to cross over to the
other road

60. As neither is meant to be
walked on to the
exclusion of the other.

61. In the middle of
this Medicine
Wheel is a green
heart and a
denser God’s
eye diamond.

62. This is meant to
represent the Tree of
Life.

63. It is what Joseph
Campbell described as
the “axis mundi.”

64. This is the place where
all is in perfect balance.

65. Everything revolves
around this middle point

66. It is where all else comes
together in Oneness.

67. I have been told of a
prophecy from the Hopi
Nation.

68. Many years ago I heard
him say that the Medicine
Wheel
placed horizontally

69. represents the great
Table of the world.

70. This is a council Table

71. where all the peoples of
the world

72. the white, yellow, black,
brown and red

73. must come together

74. in equal balance

75. He said that the troubles
of the world

76. over the past
many generations

77. have been caused by an
imbalance in this Wheel

78. and that only when the
gifts and wisdoms of all
the peoples
are brought to the Table
with equal weight

79. will we be able to solve
the problems of the
world.

80. We need each other.

81. I love Human Services
because of its

82. we can help people best
by
helping them to discover
and
develop

83. their own strengths

84. their talents

85. their gifts.

86. Each of us has talents
and gifts.

87. Each of our clients,
no matter how
dysfunctional
her or his behavior

88. has talents and gifts.

89. Our Gift, as healers

90. is to find better ways of
helping people to
recognize
their talents and gifts.

91. The study of Diversity is
one way

92. for us to begin to
recognize
some of the attributes of
each group

93. that can contribute to the
betterment of the world.

94. Larry
Merculieff tells
us that a
person greets
another in
Aleut saying,
“Hello, my

95. As we learn more about
the “other”

96. We also learn more about
ourselves

97. because a thing is often
discovered by
finding out its opposite.

98. Yin and Yang

99. a contrast points
out something
effectively.

100. For instance, we know
about light

101. by its absence, dark

102. If you are a member of a
group

103. For instance,
“low context business
culture”

104. you may begin to
understand
the characteristics of
that culture

105. by learning about
“high context” business
culture

106. whereas before you may
have thought business
was always done in one
way.

107. I have heard many people
say
“I’m not prejudiced. I
treat everyone the same
way.”

108. If you think about it, this
cannot be justice.

109. Everyone does not want
or need to be treated
“the same way.”

110. People are different.

111. Thank goodness.

112. Each of us has real
potential gifts to
contribute to the
betterment of the world.

113. One of the things that
causes me the most
sadness in all of the
world is this:

114. How many people
have been prevented
from developing their
gifts?

115. How much has the world
of humanity lost

116. over the millenia

117. because of prejudice and
discrimination?

118. How many artists
and inventors
and writers

119. and plumbers and
electricians

120. and heaven only knows
what else

121. might we have had the
benefit of?

122. How many
women of
intelligence
and wisdom

123. have not been allowed to
be educated and to go
out to work?

124. How many people of the
“wrong” skin hue

125. have had talents that
have gone to waste

126. because of social
systems that viewed them
as inferior?

127. How many young people
in villages of small
numbers

128. have despaired
and felt hopeless
and ended their own lives

129. because their beautiful
traditional way of life was
torn and broken

130. by well meaning others
who
did not understand
the Beauty of it?

131. This is why we study
Diversity

132. This is why I teach
and what I believe

133. We are all one people

134. We are different

135. We need to understand
and appreciate the
differences

136. so that every part of the
Medicine Wheel can
become strong

137. so that every Gift can be
brought to the Table

138. so that we can restore
Balance to the World

139. one person at a time.

140. Thank you for listening
patiently.
Dorothy Joy Dunne
October 5, 2011

141. AND FOR THE LAST
WORD…..