Perhaps the most challenging issue facing many Native nations is employment--or rather, the lack of employment opportunity--on or near the reservation. How to best foster economic development for Native American communities has long been discussed at the local, state, and federal levels. Agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) have…

When the author first started as interim director of the Institute for New England Native American Studies (INENAS) based at the University of Massachusetts Boston, he was given three studies that broadly identified specific needs and disparities of Native people in the region. Given that he was at an institution of higher education, his immediate…

This article explores possibilities for extending aboriginal language education opportunities into the urban domain based on qualitative research in Vancouver, British Columbia. The author argues that aboriginal language revitalization efforts have a place in the city, as demonstrated by emerging language ideologies of urban aboriginal people…

Far from the glitzy streets of New York or Los Angeles... where many of this nation's magazines are published... and on the edge of the famed Four Corners Region in the town of Mancos, Colorado ...is the home of the Tribal College Journal (TCJ). Tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, it's much like the tribal colleges it serves, far from big city…

This article focuses on how three dimensions of critical democracy preparation (place-based geographical knowledge, social and political awareness of American Indian history and culture, and orientations conducive to the development of personal connections with American Indians) were impacted by different instructional approaches introduced when…

Freida Jacques, Onondaga clan mother, discusses the discipline of the "good mind," which involves becoming aware of your thoughts, examining the intent of your actions, and deciding whether your intent is based on love or fear and anger. Peace and healing must be achieved through forgiveness and respect. Sidebars discuss Native American…

The third annual external evaluation of the Choctaw Special Alternative Instruction program is reported. The program has its roots in two efforts by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to improve their schools, an English-as-a-Second-Language education effort, and a curriculum implementation program. The Mississippi Band preserves many…