Jonathan’s family is from the Table Mountain Rancheria of California located in Fresno County, California. The Table Mountain Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Native American people from the Chukchansi band of Yokuts and the Monache tribe. Jonathan did not live on the reservation nor did his parents but his great-great grandparents did. Jonathan’s family composition consists of his parents, his siblings and his grandparents. Native American traditional family composition consists of extended family members made up of blood and non-blood relatives. The nuclear family consisted of a woman, her husband, and their children. Many tribes practiced polygamy, in which a man had two or more wives, while other tribes were monogamous. Jonathan’s tribe practiced monogamy. Native Americans developed societies with well-defined roles, responsibilities, religious rites, ceremonies, social behavior in which group involvement, support and consensus plays a major role. Traditions reflect a strong emphasis on group involvement and decision-making (Edwards & Edwards, 1980).
Jonathan’s family did not live on the reservation therefore their authority structure
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Another reason explaining why there are many misconceptions about Native Americans has to do with the fact that they tend to be more isolated than other groups, and for this reason, knowledge about Native Americans that outsiders have is likely not to come from direct experience (Fleming, 2006). Much of the information about Native Americans is derived from popular culture. By relying on stereotypes to describe Native Americans some individuals have a belief that Native Americans are drunks, receive free money from the government, and are wealthy due to revenues from casino earnings. Another stereotype of Native Americans is that they are one with nature, deeply religious, and wise in the ways of