Matching Items (10)
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- All Subjects: Native American Studies
- Creators: Romero-Little, Mary Eunice
- Creators: Marley, Tennille
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
Description
This study examines the multiple and complicated ways that Native American students engage, accept, and/or reject the teachings of a Native American literature course, as they navigate complex cultural landscapes in a state that has banned the teaching of ethnic studies. This is the only classroom of its kind in this major metropolitan area, despite a large Native American population. Like many other marginalized youth, these students move through "borderlands" on a daily basis from reservation to city and back again; from classrooms that validate their knowledges to those that deny, invalidate and silence their knowledges, histories and identities. I am examining how their knowledges are shared or denied in these spaces. Using ethnographic, participatory action and grounded research methods, and drawing from Safety Zone Theory (Lomawaima and McCarty, 2006) and Bakhtin's (1981) dialogism, I focus on students' counter-storytelling to discover how they are generating meanings from a curriculum that focuses on the comprehension of their complicated and often times contradicting realities. This study discusses the need for schools to draw upon students' cultural knowledges and offers implications for developing and implementing a socio-culturally sustaining curriculum.
ContributorsSan Pedro, Timothy Jose (Author) / Paris, Django (Thesis advisor) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Thesis advisor) / Mccarty, Teresa (Committee member) / Ortiz, Simon (Committee member) / Chin, Beverly A (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
This paper primarily focuses on the Hopi Tribe of northeastern Arizona and how historical events shaped the current perception and applications of educational systems on the Hopi reservation. This thesis emphasizes the importance of understanding historical contexts of a community in order to understand the current predicament and to devise solutions to contemporary issues in which I primarily focus on education. Education is broken down in regards to the Hopi communities by history, how this history has affected those communities, ideas of sovereignty and power within education and then future probable solutions to integrating language and culture into Hopi schools.
This research is primarily literature and educational reports on the Hopi Tribe and other American Indian communities. The research was then compiled to find commonalities with other Indian communities to depict barriers to educational success as well as effects of western education such as traditional culture and language decline. Solutions and results that other Indian communities had devised were also researched to determine if they could be incorporated into the Hopi educational system and if they supported the language and culture that the Hopi people are trying to retain.
This research is primarily literature and educational reports on the Hopi Tribe and other American Indian communities. The research was then compiled to find commonalities with other Indian communities to depict barriers to educational success as well as effects of western education such as traditional culture and language decline. Solutions and results that other Indian communities had devised were also researched to determine if they could be incorporated into the Hopi educational system and if they supported the language and culture that the Hopi people are trying to retain.
ContributorsHongeva, Justin (Author) / Killsback, Leo (Thesis advisor) / Tippeconnic, John (Committee member) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
This study examines the contemporary school placement decisions of Navajo parents in the reservation community of Piñon, Arizona. School placement decisions are defined as the school where the parent chooses to enroll his/her child for schooling. Twelve Navajo parents participated in this qualitative study, which explored their past educational experiences in order to garner insight into the current school placement choices they have made for their children. Navajo parents who live within the community of Piñon, AZ who currently have school-aged children living in their household were recruited to participate in this study. Participants took part in 60- to 90-minute interviews that included questions related to their prior educational experiences and current school placement choices for their children. Parents were given an opportunity to reflect about the school placement decisions they have made for their children. The variety of schools Navajo parents are able to choose from were illuminated. These findings have implications for education decision makers by providing insight into which schools parents are choosing and why. The study will assist Navajo Nation policy makers in future educational planning, and may have more general implications for American Indian/Alaskan Native education. This may assist Navajo Education policy makers in making future decisions regarding the newly developed Navajo Department of Education and its education planning. Participants will also benefit from the study by being able to understand how the past has impacted the school placement choices they have made. In doing so parents may be better able to articulate the impetus behind the choices they make for their children, thereby becoming better advocates for themselves and their children. The results of this study impacts scholarly literature as a new viewpoint in the area of school choice. Navajo parents represent a distinct group who make educational choices within a specific context. This study is unique as the impact of historical Indian education policies is considered. Future studies can further expand on the topic creating a unique area of research in the field of Indian education.
ContributorsLansing, Danielle R (Author) / Mccarty, Teresa L. (Thesis advisor) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Committee member) / Frederick, Dale (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
The Ak-Chin Indian Community is a small community in southern Arizona comprised of roughly one thousand O’odham. The indigenous language of Ak-Chin is the ’O’odham ñeo’okĭ, O’odham language, however in recent decades the number of speakers of this language have begun to sharply decline. Due to a variety of sociological factors in interacting with the dominant colonial society, the people of Ak-Chin have begun a shift toward the predominant use of English in daily affairs. The goal of this thesis is to investigate the societal factors that have led to the decline of the O’odham language in Ak-Chin and to examine language policy and planning principles and practices which may serve as examples for the Ak-Chin community to re-establish a strong connection to their heritage language.
ContributorsJohns, Jeremy (Author) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Thesis advisor) / Martinez, David (Thesis advisor) / Riding In, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Throughout the course of the Honors Thesis/Creative Project, the intent was to gain knowledge regarding national, state and community initiatives regarding Indigenous Language Revitalization and Maintenance (ILRA). For over a year, I had the opportunity to visit a total of five indigenous communities, including Pine Ridge, SD, Gila River Indian Community, AZ, White Mountain Apache, AZ, Cochiti Pueblo, NM and Santo Domingo Pueblo, NM. The goal was to learn about the status of their language, current ILRA initiatives as well as challenges and successes that face American Indian nations. During each visit, key elements to successful language revitalization initiatives were identified that could benefit those continuing their effort to reverse language loss as well as those looking to enter in the field of language revitalization.
ContributorsHutchinson, Jenna Michelle (Author) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Thesis director) / Begay, Jolyana (Committee member) / Sims, Christine P. (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / American Indian Studies Program (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution and Social Change (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
This thesis examines literacy development among the Algonquian-speaking Indian peoples of New England from approximately the years 1600-1775. Indians had forms of literacy prior to the coming of European settlers, who introduced them to English literacy for the purpose of proselytization. I describe the process of English-language literacy taking hold during colonization and argue that Indians in the colonial period subverted the colonizing intent of English-language literacy to preserve their mother tongues, their claims to land and affirm their nationhood as a people.
ContributorsLangenfeld, Mark (Author) / Riding In, James (Thesis advisor) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Committee member) / Marley, Tennille (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
ABSTRACT Diné Education is equal and is as valid as this nation's mainstream education, yet it does not share the same ideas, processes or goals as its counterpart. It is more complicated because it is based on oral traditions and the philosophies of Hózhó, a construct that requires a learner to embrace one's surroundings, actions, interactions, and being. A central part of Diné education focuses on spirituality and self awareness which are intertwined with every dimension of this universe. In order to become educated in the Diné world a learner must first learn to "walk in beauty" and have a positive self image. Being Diné, this researcher sought to capture his own childhood memories, including the special teachings and teachers that have guided his learning, as a way to document the process of acquiring a Diné education. The methods of inquiry for this research included self-reflection documented in a journal and an extensive literature review. The literature review was guided by three research questions: 1. What is Diné Education? 2. How important is it to today's Diné people? 3. What are the future prospects for the existence of Diné education?
ContributorsNeezzhoni, Dmitriy Zoxjkie (Author) / Romero-Little, Mary Eunice (Thesis advisor) / Brayboy, Bryan (Committee member) / Mccarty, Teresa (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2010
Description
San Carlos Apache Tribe is leading the charge to protect Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, commonly known as Oak Flat, from defilement from a mining company determined to strip the land of its precious resources. Oak Flat is sacred ground to the San Carlos Apache and the surrounding tribal communities that share historical ties to the area. Resolution Copper Mine, a joint venture of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton mining giants, aims to privatize and industrialize Oak Flat’s public lands and copper minerals directly under the Oak Flat area. San Carlos Apache archaeological sites, ancient burial grounds, origin stories, place names, and religious practices affirm Apache preoccupation and ongoing connection to Oak Flat. This study attempts to illustrate the historical injustices of how the US government and legislators, combined with mining proponents, displace the San Carlos Apache’s religious practices on their sacred sites, inside and outside reservation borders. That trend continues with the controversial Resolution Copper mining project. An unrelated provision or land exchange rider was surreptitiously attached to the National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2015), a must-pass legislation specifying the annual budget and expenditures of the US Department of Defense that would give away the San Carlos Apache religious sacred site of Oak Flat to a foreign mining company. I expose the forces of colonialism to understand how mainstream society and its legal systems have imprinted colonial ideals and have been applied to attack American Indian religious freedoms. Importantly, I show the reconciliation strategies of Apache Stronghold, representing the San Carlos Apache tribe, that could enable restorative justice for the San Carlos Apache and potentially other affected American tribes in the future.
ContributorsBarnette, Debra SpyderCloud (Author) / Vicenti-Carpio, Myla (Thesis advisor) / Riding In, James (Committee member) / Marley, Tennille (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
In Indian Country, the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault crimes have been described as arduous task. More so, determining whether the federal, state, or tribal government has criminal jurisdiction is perplexing. The various U.S. Supreme Court decisions and Federal Indian policies that influence tribal sovereignty restrict tribal government's authority over violent crimes that occur on tribal lands. In my thesis, I discuss U.S. Supreme Court decisions and federal Indian policies create a framework for colonial management and federal paternalism in Indian Country, which restrict tribal sovereignty and sentencing authority in criminal cases that occur on tribal lands and against their citizens. I introduce the Indigenous Woman's Justice Paradigm as a conceptual framework for Indian nations to develop an alternate system for responding to sexual assault crimes on tribal lands. The purpose of my research is to promote the cultural renewal of Indigenous justice practices to develop sexual assault jurisprudence or reform tribal rape law that are victim-centered and community controlled.
ContributorsFulton, Madison Eve (Author) / Vicenti Carpio, Myla (Thesis advisor) / Marley, Tennille (Committee member) / Killsback, Leo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
A disconnect exists between the perception of Indigenous women as non-leaders who lack legitimate power, and their persistent actions and beliefs that show an inherent ability to lead families, communities and cultures. Relevant literature on Indigenous women leadership has focused on displacement of women’s power and authority as a consequence of patriarchy and contextualizes the issue within deficit narratives of victimology. These accounts fail to celebrate the survivance of Indigenous women as inherent leaders charged with cultural continuance. Nonetheless, Indigenous women have persisted as leaders within advocacy, indicating a continuance of their inherent tendencies to lead their nations. “Matriarchs in the Making: Investigating the Transmission of Indigenous Resistance Through Indigenous Women’s Leadership in Activism” explores how Indigenous women demonstrate power and leadership via activism to transmit attitudes, actions, and beliefs about Indigenous resistance to Indigenous youth in the United States. A case study of Suzan Shown Harjo, a preeminent advocate for Indian rights will illustrate how Indigenous women engage in leadership within the realms of activism and advocacy. Key tenets of Indigenous feminist theory are used to deconstruct gender binaries that are present in modern tribal leadership and in social movements like the Red Power movement. Storytelling and testimony help to frame how Indigenous women activists like Harjo define and understand their roles as leaders, and how their beliefs about leadership have changed over time and movements. The study concludes with ways that Indigenous women use ancestral knowledge to envision healthy and sustainable futures for their nations. A process of “envisioning” provides guidance for future resistance via activism as guided by Indigenous women leaders. These visions will ultimately give scholars insight in how to best align their research within Indigenous feminist theory, Indigenous futurity, and women’s leadership and activism outside of academia.
ContributorsMarek, Cecilia Ruth (Author) / Riding In, James (Thesis advisor) / Solyom, Jessica (Committee member) / Marley, Tennille (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020