Healthy Indigenous child development is grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Attachment theory has been influential in understanding the significance of parenting for infant development in Western science but has focused on child-caregiver bonds predominantly within the parent-child dyad. To bring forth Indigenous perspectives…

Grounded in Indigenous core beliefs with an eye toward the future of higher education, Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) represents a fixture in the tribal college landscape. NICC was founded in 1973, chartered by the Umonhon and Isanti nations, and created to broaden access to higher education, increase economic opportunities, and preserve…

When the first tribal colleges were established over 50 years ago, Native American languages were more widely used than today. Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) were envisioned to offer a base for the retention and development of Indigenous languages and cultures, and they would establish archival collections to support this mission.…

Video games are explored as a means of reviving dying indigenous languages. The design and production of the place-based United Sugpiaq Alutiiq (USA) video game prototype involved work across generations and across cultures. The video game is one part of a proposed digital environment where Sugcestun speakers in traditional Alaskan villages could…

Understanding the extent of commitment to and identification with traditional cultural experiences is essential for working with American Indian people (Whitbeck, 2006). The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of a practical measure of enculturation for AI people by examining its reliability and validity within the context of…

This study examines the relationship between four independent variables (gender, age, reservation background, and cultural traditionalism) with three dependent variables (assessment of college, transition to college, and impact of college on an appreciation of Native heritage) among a sample of American Indian students attending a small, rural…

Results of the Group Embedded Figures Test taken by 78 Navajo students in agricultural education showed that most were field independent. Their style varied by gender and degree of traditionalism. (SK)

Identifies common patterns in experience and behavior among American Indian adolescent suicides. Discusses factors characterizing tribes with high suicide rates, including failure to adhere to traditional ways and resulting chaotic family structure and adult alcoholism. Discusses roles of adoption of Indian children, boarding schools, and high…

Examines the cultural and spiritual significance of Snoqualmie Falls to two Snoqualmie groups who live within the traditional valley of the Falls or elsewhere in Washington. Summarizes controversy over plans by Puget Sound Power and Light Company to increase water use, thereby diminishing the Falls. (KS)

Addresses issues relevant to John Dewey's philosophy of education and discusses goals and ideologies of other educational movements designed to define purpose for American education. Last section is devoted to one area of agreement between philosophies of American Indians and John Dewey--use of science to better society. (ERB)

Explains four forms of spiritual knowledge in Navajo tradition. The first emphasizes character development; second, self-reliance; third, emotional ties and relationships with family, community, nation, and the natural environment; and fourth, reverence and respect for nature. The goal of Navajo (Dine) philosophy is balance, holism, and harmony.…

This article describes aspects of a unique relationship between an ancient agricultural practice and the culture that it sustains. Hopi agriculture, known as "dry farming" because it relies strictly on precipitation and runoff water (along with hard work and prayer), has kept the Hopi culture intact for nearly a thousand years. But aside from the…

Describes the difficult position of Native American artists seeking to maintain cultural integrity and creativity while producing commercially feasible works of art. Uses a hypothetical situation of two pottery makers, one mass marketing less expensive items and the other promoting authentic wares, to illustrate the inherent demands and conflicts…

This book represents a compilation of past and contemporary quotations by American Indians that reflect Indian philosophy and traditional knowledge. By including contemporary sayings, the book demonstrates that while peoples and conditions have changed, the basic perspectives of Indian peoples remain constant. Quotations cover values; spirituality…

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…