by Jessica Jernigan, SIECUS Policy Intern

Throughout North America, there is a growing movement to provide Indigenous youth with sexual health information that is both evidence-based and culturally relevant. These programs address persistent health challenges in Native American communities, and they are grounded in the knowledge that reconnecting young people with their heritage is a positive health intervention. This is an introduction to that movement and an annotated list of relevant resources.

One day, a long time ago, Coyote was so full of himself that he decided to dance with a star. The star dragged him through the sky until Coyote was so exhausted that he let go of the star and fell back to Earth. He survived, and surviving this experience is what made him bold enough to dance with a comet. But the comet whirled Coyote around so fast that his body disintegrated and fell back to the earth, leaving his right hand clinging to the comet. After he reassembled himself, Coyote begged the Great Mystery Power for help getting his hand back. The Great Mystery Power told Coyote he’d have to be patient and wait for the comet to return. When Coyote asked how often the comet appeared, the Great Mystery Power replied, “Once in a hundred lifetimes.” 

Coyote appears in stories told by Indigenous communities across the Western United States, Western Canada, and Northern Mexico. He is a culture hero who helped shape the world, but he is also a trickster, a rule-breaker who often follows his impulses and appetites.

These two sides of Coyote’s personality are hard to separate. However, the story above—a variation on a Cheyenne tale—shows why Indigenous elders have used Coyote stories for generations. They use them to teach children how not to behave.

“Coyote Dances with a Star” is included in Native STAND 2.0, a comprehensive sex education curriculum designed to teach Indigenous youth to make thoughtful, informed decisions about their own health and the well-being of their communities. This specific story presents an opportunity to talk about taking risks and learning from mistakes. Other stories in the program start similar conversations, and some deal with sexual topics directly.

Using traditional stories to teach is an ancient practice, but it also serves a contemporary need. In 2020, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB) surveyed Indigenous youth about how they find health information. When asked what mattered most to them, the top answer was “Native Identity or Cultural Pride.” It beat every other topic by a wide margin.

This survey result makes sense when we look at history. For generations, Indigenous communities have faced organized attempts to erase their cultural knowledge, including traditional approaches to sexuality, gender, and family structures. Today’s youth want to reclaim what was taken from their ancestors. Projects like Native STAND 2.0 are responding to this movement by weaving cultural wisdom into their health lessons. To understand why this is so important, we need to look at the legacy of colonialism in North America and its impact on the health of Indigenous people. 

Historical Context and Contemporary Responses

And, in some communities, sex outside of marriage was normal, not shameful. Many Indigenous societies were also matrilineal, meaning family lines and property were passed down through mothers, and egalitarian, where power was shared more equally between men and women. 

While every tribe had its own specific customs, many of these traditions were very different from those European settlers brought with them. For example, some Indigenous societies practiced polygamy, or having more than one spouse. In some communities, having sex outside of marriage was considered normal rather than shameful. Many Indigenous groups passed property and family names down through mothers, not fathers. They were often egalitarian as well, sharing power equally between men and women. Additionally, many tribes respected a wide range of gender identities, honoring people who didn’t fit into a simple “male” or “female” category.

The loss of these traditional beliefs was not an accident. It was the result of purposeful efforts to replace Indigenous ways of life with European rules. Early missionaries and traders used religion and money to force their own values on Native people. They stripped power from women and outlawed different gender identities.

Later, the United States government expanded this control by forcing tribes off their land and forcibly placing children in boarding schools designed to erase Indigenous culture. In the 1960s and 70s, the Indian Health Service sterilized women without their consent.

This history reaches into the present and continues to affect the health of Indigenous people. Removing tribes from their ancestral lands disrupted their ability to forage, hunt, and farm traditional foods, often leaving them dependent on less nutritious government rations. Scandals at the Indian Health Service have left a legacy of medical mistrust. And tribal communities, families, and individuals are still reckoning with the devastating impacts of the board school system. 

Generational trauma, which is shared grief passed down through families and communities over time, can worsen or even cause many of the health issues that affect Native Americans more than other groups today. The legacy of colonization also shows up in higher rates of sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other health disparities among Indigenous people. As colonialism suppressed Indigenous cultures, it separated people from the shared traditions that foster resilience and well-being—for individuals and for communities.   

Contemporary efforts to indigenize sex ed address the impacts of this history, but they are not defined by this history. Instead of focusing on problems or what is missing, these projects empower young people by centering Indigenous wisdom and strength. Research shows that this approach works. Young people involved in these initiatives report a range of benefits, from better family communication and more consistent, confident condom use to better and more frequent conversations about sexual health with friends. By exploring these efforts, we can see how concepts like kinship and interconnectedness are restoring the health sovereignty of Native communities.

Integrating Tradition with Health Education

The success of Native STAND 2.0 demonstrates that reclaiming ancestral traditions is a powerful way to approach contemporary health crises. In addition to sharing this curriculum, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board also maintains We R Native, a multimedia health resource created by Native youth for Native youth. Through its Youth Ambassador Program, young people serve as health influencers, creating content drawn from their own experiences. The site’s “Ask Your Relative”  feature offers intergenerational support in the form of advice from “aunties “and “cousins.”

Like We R Native, Respecting the Circle of Life focuses on building strong relationships within the program, within families, and within communities. Developed with Native youth and their families by the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, this curriculum set a new standard for providing Indigenous youth with tools to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancy and STIs. Barb Harvey (Navajo/Diné) joined the Center in 2019 and currently serves as Research Program Coordinator. Respecting the Circle of Life is one of the behavioral health programs they have implemented. Harvey explains: “At the core of the curriculum, we acknowledge interconnectedness—the interconnectedness of youth in relation to their peers, again, their parents, their support systems, and their community.” Harvey notes that the program has a broad and lasting impact. “A lot of parents come in saying, ‘Oh, we don’t talk about these kinds of topics, we don’t have these conversations.'” But participants report that, once these conversations are started, they continue.

“At the core of the curriculum, we acknowledge interconnectedness—the interconnectedness of youth in relation to their peers, their parents, their support systems, and their community.” — Barb Harvey (Navajo/Diné)

Respecting the Circle of Life is not a stand-alone sex ed curriculum. It is, instead, a sex ed curriculum integrated into basketball camp. This is not a random choice. Basketball is hugely popular among Indigenous communities across the United States—including the Navajo communities Harvey works with. Pairing instruction on sensitive, potentially uncomfortable subjects with a much-loved sport means that participants are building confidence and developing healthy  decision-making skills in an environment where they already feel confident and connected. “Basketball really is life here,” Harvey asserts. “We’re meeting the youth where they’re at.” 

Programs like Native STAND 2.0, Respecting the Circle of Life, and We R Native are part of a growing movement to provide sexual health education rooted in Indigenous values. This effort involves tribal organizations, schools, and youth-led groups working together to create resources that meet the needs of the young people actually using them. This approach has particular benefits for Indigenous youth while it also offers models of what comprehensive sex ed looks like when it focuses on strengths and encourages community.  

Shared Principles and Additional Resources

This list is a starting point for learning about Indigenous sexual health education and advocacy, but it’s just the beginning. There are many local and regional groups doing this work within their own communities, and there are similar resources designed for elders and families. While every resource listed here is unique, they all reflect shared concepts: 

• Culture as Medicine: These programs recognize that helping young people connect with their Indigenous identity is a powerful way to improve their overall health.
• Focus on Strengths: Instead of only looking at risks or problems, these resources focus on building up the natural talents and resilience of Native youth.
• Holistic Health: They acknowledge that sexual health is deeply connected to a person’s well-being overall. 
• Connecting Generations: These programs involve the whole community, from peers to elders. 

Organizations

Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health: Founded in 1991 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Center for Indigenous Health is Community-based public health organization dedicated to advancing the well-being and self-determination of Indigenous peoples through evidence-based research, culturally grounded education, and innovative health interventions.

Native Youth Sexual Health Network: Organization run by and for Indigenous youth that works across issues of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice throughout the United States and Canada.

Healthy Native Youth: Culturally-relevant resource hub that provides evidence-based health education curricula, training, and tools for educators and advocates working with American Indian and Alaska Native youth. It was created and is primarily maintained by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board in partnership with other tribal health organizations.

Curricula and Other Resources

Circle of Life: Traditional teachings adapted to reduce sexual risk among middle schoolers through lessons about goal-setting, decision-making, and creating healthy boundaries. 

Gender Matters for Native Youth: Curriculum that addresses the intersection of gender roles, cultural identity, and reproductive health to help Indigenous youth ages 14 – 18 make healthy lifestyle choices.

Native It’s Your Game 2.0: A program of the University of Texas School of Public Health, this web-based curriculum for learners between 12 and 14 combines life skills and sexual health education. 

Native Voices: Video-based intervention that uses culturally relevant storytelling to encourage condom use and HIV testing. 

NenŨnkUmbi/Edahiyedo/We Are Here Now: Nine-month program designed to reduce sexual health and reproductive health disparities for Indigenous youth between 14 and 18 by encouraging identity exploration and fostering family and community connections.

Ogitchidag Gikinooamaagad Peer Education: Leadership-focused initiative that trains Indigenous youth to share health and wellness knowledge with their peers through storytelling, ceremony, art, and other culturally relevant activities. 

You Are Made of Medicine: Created by the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, this manual offers strategies for self-care and community care to Two-Spirit, LGBTQ+, Indigiqueer, and gender non-conforming young people. 

Thank you to Celena Ghost Dog and Michelle Singer at Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and Abagail Edwards and Barb Harvey at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health for generously sharing their time and wisdom.