Acting Out
Native programs that address epidemics of anti-social and self-destructive behaviors
Reverend Dr. Michael James Oleksa, Ph.D.
About Reverend Dr. Michael James Oleksa, Ph.D.
Father Michael Oleksa, Ph.D. has served as a Russian Orthodox priest in more than a dozen Alaska Native villages, and is recognized as an elder by the Alaska Federation of Natives. He explores subjects ranging from the cultural disconnect between Americans and Alaska Natives to the role of spirituality in their lives.
Tribal Affiliation
Hometown
Anchorage, Alaska
Region
Alaska
VIDEO CLIPS
All of You
Traditional greetings address the community not just the individual
Anxiety
Boarding schools removed adolescents from the community and created anxiety among their parents
Confidence
Taking responsibility for one’s health
Future
Traditional concepts of time
Generational
In three generations, people in Alaskan villages have gone from a supportive society to a sense of isolation
Melting Pot
Perspectives on the assimilation of immigrants and indigenous people
PTSD
Recognizing the differences between a young man before military service and after his return home
Playing School
Children rounded up and taught in a language they could not understand
Provide for Others
Identifying an individual as a provider to others is the highest compliment one can offer
Smokehole
Some Alaska Natives prefer to die outside, under the open sky
The Schools Arrive
The institution for assimilation is the public school