Policymakers have assumed that higher education would generate Indian self-determination by acculturating future tribal leaders. Instead, frustrated by the fragmented Western worldview, the brightest Indian students are supplementing its deficiencies with tribal knowledge and traditions and thereby transcending 500 years of culture shock to find…

Discusses how Ryneldi Becenti, star of the Arizona State women's team, struggles to balance the demands of major college basketball with Navajo cultural traditions. Describes the loyalty of her family and community and how Becenti has demonstrated that you can pursue your dreams and still come home. (LP)

Rebecca Adamson, president and founder of First Nations Development Institute, compares the values of traditional American Indian economies that stress sustainability and limited inequalities among society members with the deficiencies of the Western economic system. Discusses First Nations Development Institute's view of Indian gaming and how it…

A Mohawk farmer reflects on the value of farming in relation to maintaining political sovereignty, observing and valuing nature and its cycles, developing a sense of community and family responsibility, traditional religion, sharing, and appropriate family living. Views are given on natural pest control, intercropping, use of herbs, reviving…

On the Yankton Reservation (South Dakota), Native American women have formed a sisterhood based on teachings of the traditional Brave Heart Society of the Ihanktonwan Dakota Nation. They have researched early women's societies and customs; acted as role models; and revived traditional values among young women through retreats, "learning…

Daughters of Tradition is a facilitated educational program that addresses current issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and the empowerment of young American Indian women, in a way that blends the spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, and cultural parts of living into a seamless whole. Mind mapping and journal keeping affirm…

Four Native American college students who participated in the summer science program, Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS), discuss how the program allowed them to integrate traditional and Western knowledge. SOARS provides educational, research, and financial support to minority students completing undergraduate…