Kaupapa Maori theory was conceptualized in the 1980s in New Zealand as a framework for revolutionizing Indigenous education. Its success marks it as a transformational praxis beneficial to educators beyond the shores of Aotearoa. This theory propounds a practical, proactive stance that enables a shift in thinking away from the psychology of…

Background: Initiation of sexual intercourse during early adolescence is a known risk factor for teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Purpose: To examine young women's stories describing peer in?uences on their romantic and sexual decisions and behavior during early adolescence. Methods: Semistructured ethnographic interviews were…

The student demographics in American universities have been changing in recent years and the result is a rapidly increasing enrollment of international students. In particular, the Indian international student population has grown to be the second largest, with over 100,000 students enrolling at post-secondary educational institutions across the…

American Indians have the largest high school dropout rates of all ethnic groups in the United States. Though drop outs technically occur in high school, they actually begin with lowered academic achievement during elementary school years. Looking to mothers as the primary caretakers, this study sought to explore the correlations between American…

In this article, the author explains what he sees as the ironically disabling impact of some critical postures characterized by careful, self-reflexive distance undertaken by non-Native critics and then suggests a possible alternative direction for future critical interventions. The article presents the most popular strategies of ethical…

In the spring of 1540, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado led an "entrada" from present-day Mexico into the region we call New Mexico, where the expedition spent a violent winter among pueblo peoples. The following year, after a long march across the Great Plains, Coronado led an elite group of his men north into present-day Kansas where,…

Academia has long grappled with the relationship between filmmaking form and content. Film history courses are driven, in part, by aesthetic innovation, and it is not uncommon to study the editing advances made by D. W. Griffith and the silent-era Soviet filmmakers, the exploration of deep focus photography by Orson Welles and Gregg Toland, the…

When students graduate from a tribal college or university (TCU), everyone in the community celebrates. They recognize the sacrifices the students have made, juggling their responsibilities as students, parents, and community members. Many people have contributed to this success, including the tribal college presidents. Eight tribal college…

This article profiles American Indian Higher Education Consortium's (AIHEC) President and CEO Carrie Billy. Billy's experience in law, a U.S. senator's office, and in the legislative and administrative branches of government is crucial for an institution that relies on state and federal legislative processes to gain funding and support. AIHEC is a…

Standing Rock Sioux writer Susan Power's best-selling novel "The Grass Dancer" (1994) includes depictions of the supernatural and spiritual that do not conform to the Judeo-Christian or, in some cases, the atheist or rationalist worldviews of many readers. Power writes of ghost characters and haunted places, communication between the living and…

HIV/AIDS has steadily increased in Native American and Alaska Native populations, and despite efforts at control many challenges remain. This article examines historical, biological, social, and behavioral cofactors related to the spread of HIV/AIDS within the context of Native American culture. Special attention is given to vulnerable subgroups…

Caddo Indian villages occupied a region along an extensive trade network that stretched well into the North American South and West. Before the Spanish began to clamp down on French traders in their second attempt to establish a presence in East Texas in the 1750's, the Indians of the region had already enjoyed extensive trade relations with the…

The Ute community of White Mesa, comprised of approximately 315 people, sits in the corner of southeastern Utah, eleven miles outside of Blanding. The residents, primarily of Weenuche Ute and Paiute ancestry, enjoy a cultural heritage that embraces elements from plains, mountain, and desert/Great Basin Indian culture. Among their religious…

This article documents the establishment of the Indigenous Specializations program in the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria. In the absence of funding for Indigenous programs, First Nations professors Robina Thomas and Jacquie Green developed the Indigenous Specializations program "off the side of their desk". This…

Postsecondary degree attainment for American Indian college students at predominantly White institutions has consistently been the lowest among any ethnic and/or racial group for the past three decades. A plethora of studies have been conducted to examine the experiences of Native students at mainstream institutions within the conceptual framework…