Administrators are challenged to support the academic achievement of Navajo high school students. Research concerning public school campus administrators' perceptions of these challenges is scarce. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine school administrators' perceptions concerning challenges they face when supporting the…

In spring of 2024, Diné College students in the course College Composition II began the semester by reading "Making Kin with the Machines" (Lewis et al., 2018), an essay by four Indigenous scholars who suggest their understanding of kinship drawn from Hawaiian, Plains Cree, and Lakota epistemologies offers a productive model for…

To address the challenges that persist at many levels for tribal nations in pursuit of increasing accessibility to basic necessities and developing infrastructure for their citizenry, I have created this research. I show how key leaders in the Navajo Nation understand the importance of developing a sound infrastructure that would sustain our…

Indigenous K-12 school leaders contribute to Tribal Nation building by leading schools that recognize and embed student culture. A large body of literature suggests the importance of culturally responsive leadership and recognizing students' cultural strengths within the foundations of the school. Indigenous K-12 school leaders' work toward…

The Navajo Nation has been historically underserved, as evidenced by the prevalence of education inequity, inadequacies in healthcare facilities and personnel, and limited capacity of telecommunications and electrical infrastructure. These vulnerabilities of the Navajo Nation were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to outline the contributions of Smiths legacy in Indigenous methodologies and to show how her interventions encourage and facilitate meaningful research relationships with Indigenous communities. It is also a practical guide for future Indigenous researchers who aim to work with their communities.…

This article presents the first psychometric validation of the Culturally Responsive Assessment of Indigenous Schooling (CRAIS) tool, alongside a call for methodological complexity when engaged in research with and in Indigenous contexts. We examined the 23 culturally responsive schooling (CRS) principles underlying the newly created CRAIS tool in…

For several years there has been a movement to protect Chaco Canyon from the effects of fracking, yet it was not until 2022 that Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland imposed a ban on fracking within a 10-mile radius of Chaco. But Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and a coalition of Navajos who own land allotments within the 10-mile…

In the face of unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Diné College, America's first tribal college, emerged as a beacon of resilience and innovation. Diné College demonstrated resilience through the creation of new programs, investment in technology, commitment to student readiness, pursuit of economic development, and the…

Preserving the Navajo language, or "Diné bizaad," is of profound importance for all Indigenous people in the United States, as Navajo is one of the more widely spoken Native languages yet is still facing the early stages of endangerment. Currently, the Navajo Nation, like other tribes, lacks a significant presence of community-based…

This article addresses critical issues of how Indigenous (Diné/Navajo) youth construct meaning of their racial, cultural, and linguistic identities within the historical, political, and socio-cultural contexts of the United States of America as a racialized, settler/colonial society. Using Tribal Crit theory, the author, a member of the Diné…

Sacred places hold immense significance in Navajo traditions and communities, playing a vital role in cultural preservation and spiritual practices. These sacred sites are deeply intertwined with the Navajo way of life, serving as focal points for ceremonies, rituals, and connections to the spiritual world. The Navajo people revere various sacred…