Unintentional injuries
Chapter 14 CULTURALCOMPETENCE
The opening images for this chapter bring closure to the process of becoming CULTURALLYCOMPETENT. They both summarize and symbolize many of the concepts presented in the text. Each chapter opened with images representing amulets, remedies, and/or shrines that were related to the content of the chap- ter. Here, a symbolic image of an amulet, remedy, and shrine are followed by an image of the “tug of war” that one may experience as they embrace the ideas of CULTURALCOMPETENCY. Figure 14–1 is a Daruma—a doll— representing the Indian priest Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism in China. It was said he lost his arms and legs meditating in a cave. The dolls are made of paper-mache on a bamboo frame. They are used as charms, or amulets, for the fulfillment of special wishes and as a talisman for protection against “small pox.” They are popular with Japanese Americans today and can be purchased at Japanese cultural events. Figure 14–2 is an example of an herbal remedy. The use of herbs—often those that can be grown in your own back yard—to treat many maladies is common. Countless people turn to herbs, usually as their first source of medication, and evidence now indicates that the use of herbal rem- edies is prevalent among many people. Figure 14–3 is a Thai Spirit Shrine lo- cated on a street corner in Los Angeles, California. It is a place where passersby are able to stop and meditate for as long as they desire to do so. Figure 14–4, “Tug of War,” represents the ongoing tensions between the allopathic and ho- meopathic philosophies and the conflict you may experience when you encoun- ter people who prefer traditional health and illness beliefs and practices rather than modern health care therapies. Implicit in CULTURALCOMPETENCY is the understanding of a situation from a “person or patient’s point of view.”