Scenario 019: Registration staff member refers to a Native American patient as “Chief”

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Scenario:

The patient, Mr. Stevens, is a Native American man, who is speaking to registration staff. The staff member is a white man who reviews their paperwork and when finished says, “You’re all good now, Chief.” 

1) Impact: How might this interaction affect the individuals involved?  Who might it harm? Why? Why does this matter? 

  1. Calling a Native American person “chief” is inappropriate and potentially offensive.  Although each person is different and we do not know exactly how this will land on the patient, using the term “Chief” to refer to a Native American person in everyday settings is often seen as a harmful, inaccurate stereotype.  It is quite possible that the young man is used to this sort of thing, but that does not make it acceptable to continue the practice.  
  2. Given the history of our country, Native American patients have a lot of good reasons to distrust our medical system. Even what you may feel is a minor insult, like this example, may contribute to a person feeling that this medical system is not designed for them, and they are not welcome here.  For almost all of us, our names are very important to our identity.  We should all get in the habit of respectfully referring to each other with our actual names.  In this case, the staff member should have referred to the patient as Mr. Stevens. 

2) Intervention: If you were to intervene to address the potential harm caused… 

  1. What might you do or say? 
    1. You may say to the staff member, “Please, you should refer to people by their actual names. I am sorry about that, Mr. Stevens.”
    2. You may say to the staff member, “Let’s not refer to him as Chief, it is potentially offensive.”  Note: Some may wonder why we hedge with the word “potentially” as it may seem obviously offensive to you.  We want to respect that the offense is really within the experience of Mr. Stevens, and although he likely would be offended, every individual is different and will react differently. 
    3. You may talk to the staff member afterwards and explain to them why it is inappropriate. 
    4. You may find Mr. Stevens afterwards, apologize for your colleague, and ask him if he would like you to say something to your colleague. 
    5. You may tell your supervisor about the incident.  
  2. What obstacles might get in the way of you intervening? 
    1. You may not know what Mr. Stevens wants and not want to step in and speak for him if he doesn’t want your help. If this is the case, you could still approach him afterwards and check with him. 
    2. You may not realize this is an insult or assume that the staff member did not know it was insulting.  After all, isn’t referring to someone as “Chief” a fun, informal way of showing respect to someone?  If this is the case, you may say to the staff member, “I am guessing you were just trying to be friendly and respectful, but you really shouldn’t jokingly refer to a Native American person as Chief.” 

3) Repair: If you are the “offender”, how can you apologize or accept feedback? 

  1. You may say, “I was trying to be friendly without really thinking.  That was inappropriate of me. I apologize, Mr. Stevens.” 
  2. You can share a commitment to educating yourself better about cultural sensitivity to avoid these mistakes in the future 
  3. Consider the broader implications of such language and how it affects relationships within the community. 

4) More Information: Additional comments and background information about this scenario:

  1. There is an important history and cultural context to this issue that many people may not know.  First, Native American tribes have never used the word “Chief” to refer to their leaders. Different tribes have their own terms for their leaders which do not translate directly to “Chief”.  It is a European term that was first applied to Native leaders by colonizers.  This makes it particularly offensive to direct this term towards a Native American person. To learn more, see this article here.  Of course, even if it was an Indigenous term, it would not be acceptable to refer to the young man in this way.   
  2. This insult can be seen as an example of both “objectifying” and “stereotyping.”