Indigenous Studies Commons^™

Vital Language Practices And Attitudes Among The Lumbee, Deven A. Hull

Senior Theses

The longstanding interest among linguists and linguistic anthropologists in Indigenous languages has increasingly adopted a Critical Indigenous framework, which has been promoted by Indigenous scholars and community leaders as a means of decolonizing “salvage” collection of Indigenous language materials. An important aspect of Critical Indigenous theory is the framework of vitality—that is, an emphasis in literature and community practice on the everyday living and lived elements of culture. One means of promoting Indigenous language within this Critical framework of vitality that is community-centered is centering vital language practices in community-based archives, which seek not to document the language as it …

Sostenibilidad Ambiental En Comunidades Mayas: Riesgos Y Desafíos En La Era Del Cambio Climático, Gertrudis Guzmán Noh Dr.

Journal of Maya Heritage

El presente artículo analiza las dinámicas de sostenibilidad ambiental en comunidades mayas del estado de Yucatán, México, enfocándose en los riesgos ambientales y las respuestas adaptativas desarrolladas frente al cambio climático. El trabajo se desarrolló en tres comunidades: Yaxunah, caracterizada por la producción artesanal y la sobreexplotación del árbol de Chaká (Bursera simaruba); Ixil, que enfrenta disputas territoriales e inundaciones recurrentes; y Sotuta, afectada por la contaminación acuífera derivada de una granja porcina en zonas aledañas. Metodológicamente, se implementó un enfoque de investigación acción participativa que integró diálogo de saberes, matrices de análisis de riesgo y estrategias de intervención comunitaria. …

Reimagining Cultural Intersections: A Book Review Of Maya Christian Murals Of Early Modern Yucatán, Texas University Press, 2024., Lilia Fernández Souza Phd, Lilia Lucia Lizama Aranda Dr., José Israel Herrera

Journal of Maya Heritage

Colonial mural art in the Yucatán Peninsula represents a cultural intersection where Christian iconography and Maya artistic traditions converged in a complex visual dialogue. Maya Christian Murals of Early Modern Yucatán (Texas University Press, 2024) offers a detailed analysis of these pictorial expressions, exploring how Indigenous artists reinterpreted colonial impositions by preserving ancestral techniques, materials, and symbolism. The book proposes a rereading of the murals in Franciscan convents, highlighting their role not only as tools of evangelization but also as evidence of cultural resistance and adaptation.

This review, titled Reimagining Cultural Intersections: A Book Review of Maya Christian Murals of …

Glotopolítica, Identidad Y Lenguas En México En El Siglo Xxi, Marilyn S. Avalos Huesca

Journal of Maya Heritage

Languages, like human beings, have been adapting to the changes produced worldwide, and with this they have grown in number of speakers or disappeared forever from society. These changes are not given arbitrarily, but are conceived from politics and the State, where what should be the best for the speakers, nationalism and society permeates according to the statutes established by those in power. All this from an ethnocentric point of view, which denigrates what is different, what we do not understand, and therefore, we reject. This article analyzes the presence of languages in Mexico from a point of view related …

"Insanity" As An American Empire: The Canton Insane Asylum For American Indians, 1902-1934, Thanh Chi Nguyen

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This graduate thesis involves a retelling of the history of the now defunct Canton Insane Asylum, built in the early 20th century located in Canton, South Dakota. It was America’s first federal psychiatric facility dedicated exclusively for American Indians. The Canton Insane Asylum for American Indians is a touchstone whose microhistory reflects larger political and economic sentiments in both the state of South Dakota and in the United States writ large. Conceiving South Dakota, as first and foremost a white settler society erected on land forcibly wrested from American Indian people, the asylum played an important economic development role and …

Frameworks For Measuring Regenerative Tourism: Supply And Demand Indicators With A Dynamic And Holistic Approach, Asif Hussain

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

This paper examines regenerative tourism as a holistic approach that goes beyond sustainability by actively restoring and enhancing social-ecological systems. Recognizing tourism’s interconnectedness with economic, social, cultural, and environmental systems, it presents regenerative tourism as a dynamic model integrating supply and demand perspectives to promote innovation, resilience, and renewal. On the supply side, regenerative tourism emphasizes ecological restoration, sustainable practices, economic stability with minimal environmental harm, and authentic experiences. On the demand side, it aligns with the rising preference for ethical, participatory, and immersive tourism, involving tourists as active contributors to destination well-being. The paper highlights the importance of multidimensional …

Developing Sustainable Medical Tourism: A Framework In The Perspective Of Developing Countries, Abel Ansporthy Mamboleo Dr.

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

This study reviewed the literature to develop the framework for sustainable medical tourism in developing countries. According to the findings, the development of a sustainable tourist destination necessitates the involvement of various stakeholders and adherence to sustainability principles. The framework suggests five essential tasks for sustainable medical tourism development. It contributes to the knowledge of sustainable medical tourism by suggesting the framework for analysing a specific situation for the development of a medical tourist destination. It provides a better understanding of sustainable medical tourism operations by integrating medication, travel, hospitality, and tourism. Moreover, it contributes to the sphere of medical …

Cerrando La Brecha: Difusión Virtual De La Cultura Maya Para La Conciencia Pública Y La Preservación, Ana María Vera Arias, Dr. Lilia Lucia Lizama Aranda, Brenda Marin, José Montesino

Journal of Maya Heritage

En este artículo se aborda el origen, los métodos y el resultado del ciclo de conferencias de divulgación virtual organizado por el Centro del Patrimonio Maya en colaboración con Arqueólogos sin Fronteras del Mundo Maya, esto con el objetivo de compartir conocimientos y generar conciencia sobre diversas facetas de la cultura maya. La pregunta central gira en torno a cómo se pueden comunicar efectivamente las complejidades y la rica herencia de la cultura maya a una audiencia no especializada. Como resultado, encontró que las conferencias de divulgación virtual fueron un método adecuado para ampliar el interés sobre la cultura maya …

Native Organizations Fill Gaps In Federal Support For Tribal Renewable Energy, Healing Native Communities, Corrie Grosse, Dawn D. Davis, Robert Blake, Chéri Smith

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Urban Security And The Crisis Of Values In A Risk Society: Elements For Reflection And Research, Bahamou Abdelilah, Abdelghani Chafik

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract: Urban security has become one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, shaped by the complexities of modern urban life. As cities grow and evolve, they face unprecedented security challenges that transcend traditional notions of crime prevention. These challenges encompass social, cultural, economic, and psychological dimensions, deeply intertwined with societal transformations.

In the context of what sociologist Ulrich Beck refers to as the "risk society," rapid globalization, technological advancement, and cultural diffusion have disrupted traditional social values. This disruption has created environments of uncertainty and fear, where mutual trust and social cohesion are eroded. As Émile Durkheim …

Modeling Wild Rice Bed Health: A Dual Metric Approach For Bed Strength And Invasive Impact, Seth Sisneros-Martinez

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Wild rice (mannoomin; Zizania palustris) is an aquatic grain that grows in slow-moving rivers and shallow bays throughout northern Minnesota. In Headquarters Bay on Leech Lake, wild rice has served as a cultural staple for Indigenous communities for centuries. However, its population has declined in recent years due to multiple environmental issues. One potential contributor is Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum; EWM), an invasive species that forms dense mats capable of outcompeting native aquatic vegetation, including wild rice. EWM was first recorded on the southern shoreline of Leech Lake in 2005 and has since become widespread. This study …

Assessing Understory Along The Elk River (Hikshari') In Headwaters Forest Reserve, Humboldt County, California, Julie R. Meyers, Aliyah M. Ingram, Caleb N. Larkin, Joshua L. Carpenter

Environmental Science & Management Senior Capstones

Northern California’s extensive logging history and lack of forest management has altered old-growth coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, leaving dense, homogenous second and third-growth forest stands. This has led to the use of modern restoration techniques such as variable density thinning (VDT) which aims to rehabilitate old-growth forest conditions by improving stand heterogeneity and light availability for understory species. Our study was done in Headwaters Forest Reserve (HFR) along the Elk River (Hikshari’) Trail in Humboldt County, California. Initially, the project was supervised by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arcata Field Office. However, the 2025 U.S. government …

The First International Study Into The Characteristics And Statistical Effectiveness Of Treatment For Indigenous And First Nations People Who Have Sexually Offended: A Meta-Analysis And Survey Of Routine Practice, James Finney

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Psycho-criminological literature has continued to examine post-treatment recidivism outcomes homogeneously for people who have sexually offended. Because results indicate clear differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who have sexually offended, this project set out to understand the characteristics and effectiveness of treatment for Indigenous and First Nations people from four jurisdictions: Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. A strategic three study strategy was implemented and resulted in a systematic narrative synthesis, meta-analysis and survey of sexual offender treatment organisations in Australia. The systematic review used a comprehensive and scientifically rigorous approach to identify studies (k = 14) that …

Place-Based Learning Practices: A Diptych Case Study Of Human And More-Than-Human Relationality At The Tribal And Western Academic Institutional Interface, Karley M. Rojas-Vienneau

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The ‘Place-Based Learning Practices Project’ is a graduate project under the Native American Studies Department Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute (FSL). Making contributions at the intersection of Western academia and Indigenous science, it imagines and realizes content, policies, and protocols surrounding two case studies and the larger cal poly humboldt (cph) institution which respect, honor, and uplift Indigenous sovereignty and resurgence in partnership with the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe and the greater regional tribal community. Encompassing two projects internal and external to the institution, I aim to address the construction of controlled and protective environments …

Kelp Guardians Can Save The World: A Food Sovereignty Lab Report Of The Ghvtlh-K’Vsh Shu'-Srnelh-'I~ (Kelp Guardians) California Sea Grant, Delaney A. Schroeder-Echavarria

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As partners of the Ghvtlh-k’vsh Shu'-srnelh-'i~ (Kelp Guardians) California Sea Grant project, the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute has actively engaged with local educators, Tribal organizations, and Tribal Nations to create youth-centered curricula, researched through a community-based participatory research lens. This is demonstrated through an innovative approach to recruiting and retaining Indigenous youth and community interest in coastal and marine ecosystems and resources by connecting with Indigenous cultural practices, Indigenous sciences, and community-based programs to encourage future careers. The Kelp Guardians project is led by the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation (TDN or Nation) and includes various …

Campesino World-Building: Stories Of Migration, Memory, And Care In The Tension Of The Colonial Frame, Chelsea Ríos Gómez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Campesinos, often reduced to the label of “farmworkers”, are too often seen only through the lens of their labor within profit-driven systems. This thesis disrupts that limited narrative by illuminating the rich, expansive nature of vivencias campesinas, ways of being that transcend capitalist measures of value. These vivencias are lived, embodied experiences rooted in campesino lifeways, encompassing cultural, spiritual, and relational practices that nurture and sustain life.

My research is guided by four central questions: (1) In what ways have campesinos in pixley resisted exploitative labor systems, and how can this resistance be understood as a form of care labor? …

An Overview Of Nagpra And The 2024 Revisions, Emily V. Owens-Barber

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Section 11 of the National Museum of the American Indian Act (NMAIA) was added to public law in 1989. This required the Smithsonian Museum to repatriate any human remains or funerary objects associated with Native American Ancestry back to their tribes. In 1990, The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was added to federal legislation expanding on this section and requiring that every federally funded institution in the United States that held Native American Remains or funerary objects in their collection must follow this regulation to continue to receive federal funding. Nearly 33 years later in the autumn …

Huchum: The Legacy Of Fire Suppression, Indigenous Land Management, And Media Representation, Carolyn Coyne

Pomona Senior Theses

In my thesis, I examine how various forms of news media from the 1900s to present day in Ohlone territory have framed a particular hegemonic ideology around fire that matches early colonial journal entries – an ideology that is fueled by fear, sensationalism, and exclusion and directly commits violence against the Ohlone people. I investigate this time period because this is when modern news corporations, like The New York Times, rose into prominence. Specifically, I question how media representations of fire inform regulations over controlled burns; what are the similarities in discourse between media framing and policy? What tactics are …

Indigenous-Industrial Heritage: Centering Indigenous Voices In Minnesota's Iron Range, Larissa A. Juip

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Industrial heritage refers to the material remains, sites, landscapes, and practices associated with industrial and extractive activities. As a field, it has historically been concerned with the conservation, management, and interpretation of industrial sites and activities and forms a central narrative within Minnesota's museums. Yet such accounts often privilege object-centered narratives while silencing the presence, knowledge, and contributions of Indigenous and Descendant communities, obscuring their enduring relationships to extractive landscapes. In recent decades, critiques of traditional industrial heritage approaches have identified gaps in the discipline related to the exclusion of marginalized populations, including Indigenous Peoples. Minnesota is home to eleven …

Occupied Lands, Occupied Histories: Activist-Historians And The Red Power Movement, Elena Rose Paz Thompson

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay.............................4

II. Primary Document Collection......25

III. Textbook Critique........................37

IV. New Textbook Writing.................42

Cultural Model Of Indigenous Custom Marriage, Maria G. Stapleton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines and documents the tradition of Indigenous Custom Marriage (ICM) practiced in a semi-rural community in central Mexico. The arrival of Spaniards to Mesoamerica during the sixteenth century brought new forms of marriage to the region, those of the Christian religion and of the Spanish crown’s laws. While these new forms slowly gained acceptance, the traditional pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican form of getting married has endured over the intervening centuries up through the present. This traditional form of marriage is not monolithic, but shows variation across the diverse ethnic groups, communities, and geographic regions of Mesoamerica. The community studied, Tlanalapa, …

Indigenous Access And Use On Private Land: A Toolkit For Heart Of The Rockies Land Trust Members, Ian James Craighead

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Art/Place Making In A Settler Colonial Context: A Critical Place Inquiry On The Haldimand Tract/Kitchener-Waterloo From A White Settler Perspective, Haley Sheppard

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Although critical place scholars implicate artists in settler colonial processes of placemaking, there is little information on how white settler artists (WSAs) might use their creative practice to support practices of accountability and solidarity with Indigenous resurgence. This research responds to this gap by investigating the creative practices of WSAs located on the Haldimand Tract/in Kitchener-Waterloo (KW), and how they might approach critical, contextual practices in their creative work. A critical place inquiry was combined with ethnographic research principles and a transformative critical research paradigm. Six WSAs participated in mobile interviews, which took place in a location significant to them. …

Impacto De La Pandemia De La Covid-19 En Las Familias De Los Jóvenes Universitarios De Las Poblaciones Rurales Mayas Del Estado De Yucatán, Jorge Atocha Pacheco Castro

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. This study examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the families of university students from rural Maya communities in Yucatán, Mexico. Utilizing an anthropological framework, the research highlights the interplay of structural vulnerabilities and cultural resilience. It explores how families navigated economic challenges, social interactions, and cultural practices amid the crisis. Key findings include the reliance on traditional subsistence practices such as small-scale agriculture and backyard farming, which provided a safety net during economic downturns. Socially, rural families reported lower stress levels and stronger communal bonds compared to their urban counterparts, owing to expansive living spaces and outdoor …

Re-Indigenizing And Collaboratively Tending Urban Greenspaces, Divinity Nnenne Adewale

University Honors Theses

This work details the active process of land tending with the intention of re-Indigenization in the Pacific Northwest at several Portland sites; The Native American Student Community Center, PSU Oak Savanna, and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Land tending is an intuitive process, one rooted in love and respect for life of all forms as well as becoming the perpetual student; land tending is not a skill to be mastered, only practiced. Unlike environmental management, tending cannot be done separate from the earth, in a classroom or otherwise. Connections are what tending is built on top of: the foundation; effort …

Lalava In Tonga, Tapukitea Lolomāna‘Ia

Pacific Studies

This article explores the traditional Tongan art of lalava, an ornamental lashing technique using kafa sennit cords on royal fale hau structures. Drawing from oral traditions, interviews with practitioners like Tamale Mohenoa, and field observations, it examines lalava's architectural, cultural, and historical roles, including patterns (kupesi) encoding royal genealogies, social hierarchies, and navigation knowledge. The study highlights its evolution, exclusive practitioners from the Tamale lineage in Niutou Village, and significance in Tongan heritage amid modernization.

The Successes Of Rotuman Women In The Modern World, Alan Howard, Makereta Mua

Pacific Studies

Inspired by Ester Boserup’s 1970 thesis regarding the role of indigenous economies in promoting the success of women in the modern economies, this article explores aspects of Rotuman culture that have led to the considerable success of Rotuman women in various contemporary occupations. Our analysis is based on multiple sources implicating the socialization of women that promote a self-confidence conducive to accomplishments. This article also includes reflections by seventeen interviewees on the sources of their success

Vavanga, Vavalo, And Fakakaukau With Vā-Tā, Siosiua F.P. Lafitani

Pacific Studies

This article addresses the profound cognitive and cultural significance of vavanga (contemplation) and vavalo (contemplation), which are contempla- tive frameworks deeply rooted in the concept of vā (space) within Tongan language and culture. These frameworks serve as gateways to expansive cogni- tive exploration, stretching the boundaries of imagination and contemplation. Fakakaukau (thinking), double or dual actor (named because it bridges the realms of cognition and practicality), uses instrumental concepts such as fifili (inquisitiveness) and fekeli (meticulous exploration) to navigate the landscapes of inquiry. Throughout this exploration, a critical distinction emerges between tā as tempo and the cognitive concepts of contemplation …

Fostering Ruins: The Tales Of Kaum Depok, Yoga Susatyo

Antropologi Indonesia

This study identifies the utilization of Social and Built Capital by the Kaum Depok Community in maintaining community existence amidst social transformation. Previous research on the Kaum Depok and similar ethnic communities found that group self-identity, the role of values-religion-beliefs, architecture, the use of distinctive/local language, and the inclusivity nature of the group significantly contribute to the community's existence. I agree that these aspects impact this ethnic community's existence, however the community capital, particularly social and built capital, plays a crucial role in the effort to preserve the community. This study employs a qualitative approach to classify and analyze community's …

Guns, Glass, And Metal And The Applications Of Traditional Technology In The 19th Century Southern Platte, Aaron Toussaint

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I investigate how Indigenous communities of the North American Central Plains navigated settler-colonialism by adapting traditional hunting technology. To frame this I ask, how and why traditional technology was favored over introduced firearm technology? I investigate this by examining archaeological collections from Fort Vasquez and the Coffin's Buffalo Kill Site, ethnographic history of the Central Plains, Indigenous ledger art, and interviewing a ledger artist. This study uses a multifaceted theoretical approach to connect hybrid projectile point artifacts, with Indigenous historic documentation, to recognize Indigenous agency in the 19th century. This thesis counters historic narratives of the 19th …