March 20th marks the annual observance of National Native HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, a day to address the impact of HIV on Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and to encourage HIV testing, prevention, and treatment in these impacted communities. March 20th also represents the spring equinox and marks the first day of spring. The first day of Spring was the chosen as the date to celebrate National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day by individuals in the community who had participated in a national survey to determine what day would be most appropriate. It was acknowledged that in many Native cultures across the United States, the four seasons are highly respected because they closely represent the cycle of life. Spring also represents a time of equality and balance and is the only day when day and night are at equal lengths. It is considered a time of profound change, new beginnings and birth; A celebration of life for all people. The cycle of life is defined by the change in seasons, and ceremonies are held to recognize the passing of one season and the beginning of another.

Alaska

The Nalukatak, or spring whaling festival, takes place at the end of the whaling season. One purpose of this festival is to win the favor of the spirits of the deceased whales and to ensure the success of future hunting seasons.

The Woodland Tribes

The Woodland Tribes celebrate the Green Corn Ceremony to mark the emergence of the first ears of corn which represent the ideal relationship between humans and the corn plants upon which they depend for their existence.

Native Hawaiians

For Native Hawaiians and many of their Polynesian cousins, the season of Makahiki begins with the first sighting of the rising of the Pleiades in the heavens. The rising of the Pleiades is the time when the sun turns northward and plants flourish and fish spawn. It is the season to give tribute to Lono, the god of cultivation. The seasons of Makahiki is a time of peace.

From 2015 to 2019, Native American/Alaskan Native (NA/AN) men experienced a 23% increase in new HIV diagnoses, and NA/AN women experienced a 4% decrease. Although NA/AN women had an overall decrease in new HIV diagnoses from 2015 to 2019, a closer look at the recent years between 2018 to 2019 shows an alarming 50% increase.

Among Native communities, HIV impacts certain groups more than others– for example, Gay and Bisexual Men represented 77% of new HIV diagnoses among NA/AN men in 2019. In the same year, injection drug use accounted for 40% of new HIV diagnoses among NA/AN women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, factors such as high rates of sexually transmitted diseases among AI/AN populations, alcohol and drug use, and cultural stigma result in disproportionate HIV rates among Native communities.

It is also important to recognize how social determinants of health can negatively impact HIV-related health outcomes for Native communities due to a lack of access to affordable health care and financial insecurity. For example:

• In 2018, 23.7% of the NA/AN population were living in poverty, compared to 13.1% of the U.S. population.

• In the same year, 19.1% of the NA/AN population were uninsured, compared to 8.9% of the U.S. population.

In observance of National Native HIV & AIDS Awareness day, we want to share an episode of The Three Letters podcast, which dives into these multiple health disparities and socio-economic factors that native communities face which drive disproportionate rates of HIV and other STIs. This episode features Curtis Harris-Davia (San Carlos Apache). Curtis has spent his career serving indigenous people, and gives a one-of-a-kind history lesson on the two-spirit movement and how native people were and are a vital part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. HE also covers topics including meth use, World Pride, the Two-Spirit HIV Conference, the importance of connecting with their history, and the unique challenges native people living HIV face. Give it a listen below!

Podcast created by WMPG. To hear more from this series, visit: https://www.wmpg.org/the-three-letters-podcast/

About Cascade AIDS Project

CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017.  More information can be found at www.capnw.org.