Although the articles for this special issue on Native North American elders cover a diverse array of topics, approaches, and geographical areas, this issue was motivated by a single desire: to gather together in one venue a collection of varied disciplinary approaches to contemporary social and cultural research with older American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nations people. These Native elders constitute a relatively small, but rapidly growing, population (John 1996). The importance of elders to Native communities, however, belies these small numbers. Elders have traditionally been leaders, keepers of history and cultural knowledge, and socializers of the younger generation (Red Horse 1983; Red Horse 1980; Weibel-Orlando 1989). In many communities, these roles continue, although they may be challenged in the face of contemporary pressures. Despite elders' symbolic and practical importance in many tribal communities, current empirical research with this group remains limited. Indeed, there are many important elder-related topics that have received scant research attention, although they are of keen interest to communities themselves. This special issue is one step toward rectifying that discrepancy.
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机译：尽管本期《北美原住民长者》的文章涵盖了各种各样的主题，方法和地理区域，但该问题的产生是出于一种愿望：在一个场所聚集在一起，收集了多种针对当代社会和社会的学科方法。与美洲印第安人，阿拉斯加原住民和原住民一起进行文化研究。这些土著长者构成的人口相对较少，但增长迅速（John 1996）。但是，长者对原住民社区的重要性掩盖了这些小数目。传统上，老年人是领导者，历史和文化知识的保存者以及年轻一代的社交者（Red Horse 1983; Red Horse 1980; Weibel-Orlando 1989）。在许多社区中，这些角色仍在继续，尽管面对现代压力可能会受到挑战。尽管长者在许多部落社区中具有象征意义和实际意义，但目前对该群体的实证研究仍然有限。确实，尽管与社区本身密切相关，但许多重要的与老年人相关的主题却很少受到研究关注。这一特殊问题是纠正这种差异的第一步。
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