Indigenous Studies Commons^™

Myth And Monstrosity: Teaching Indigenous Films, Ken Derry

Journal of Religion & Film

The past few times that I have taught my course on religion and film I have included a number of Indigenous movies. The response from students has been entirely positive, in part because most of them have rarely encountered Indigenous cultural products of any kind, especially contemporary ones. Students also respond well to the way in which many of these films use notions of the monstrous to explore, and explode, colonial myths. Goldstone, for example, by Kamilaroi filmmaker Ivan Sen, draws on noir tropes to peel back the smiling masks of the people responsible for the mining town’s success, …

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2018): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Front Matter for the Vol. 41, No 3-Dec 2018 edition of the Pacific Studies Journal.

Vol. 41 No. 3 (2018): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

The Larger Conversation: Contemplation And Place By Tim Lilburn, Emory Shaw

The Goose

Review of Tim Lilburn's The Larger Conversation: Contemplation and Place.

A Slowly Starving Race: Land And The Language Of Hunger In Zitkala-Ša’S "Blue-Star Woman", Adam R, Brantley

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

This paper proposes that the motif of starvation in Zitkala-Ša’s 1921 short story, “The Widespread Enigma Concerning Blue-Star Woman,” is in fact a metaphor for the dispossession of Native American lands and its disastrous effects on Native American livelihood and culture. Though much scholarship has been done on sentimental rhetoric in Zitkala-Ša’s fiction, critics have not yet explored its connection to this the most immediate Zitkala-Ša’s concerns. This essay first unpacks letters from Zitkala-Ša’s personal archives to demonstrate her individual interest in dispossession, and then examines “Blue-Star Woman’s” ever-present language of hunger through this lens of land loss. In doing …

Le Fuia, Le Fuia, E Tagisia Lou Vaelau “Starling, Starling, We Pine For Your Nimbleness”: Towards A Samoan Indigenous Framing Of Responsibility For “Climate Change”, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta‘Isi Tupuola Tufuga Efi

Pacific Studies

"Over a century ago Augustin Kramer recorded a Samoan song with the line: le fuia, le fuia, e tagisia lou vaelau. I have translated this into English as “Starling, starling, we pine for your nimbleness.” The references to nimbleness and to the fuia, or native Samoan starling bird, are literal and metaphorical and were chosen deliberately for their ability to make visible an indigenous context. The line reminds that, with skill and dexterity, one can find in nature balance, hope, and support despite the potentially harmful effects of gravity. This address uses this phrase and its Samoan indigenous …

Adaptation Of Customary Quechua Indigenous Political Organization In The Face Of Modern Resource Extraction: A Case Study In The Apurimac Region Of The Andes Of Peru, Yojana Miraya Oscco

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research focused on the forms and structure of customary political organization in Quechua indigenous communities of the Peruvian Andes that extend from the villages to their associated migrant communities in the capital. As the mining industry has been expanding rapidly throughout the Andes in recent decades, describing the political organization of these remote communities is a key aspect of their negotiation practices with these external industries. This research was conducted utilizing grounded theory in a comparative case-study format by analyzing two villages and their associated migrant communities from the Andean District of Juan Espinoza Medrano. This research utilized a …

Writing Activism: Indigenous Newsprint Media In The Era Of Red Power, Elizabeth Best

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis reconstructs Indigenous activism in the era of Red Power, 1972-1976, by examining three newspapers, the Native Youth Movement (NYM), The Native Voice (TNV) and The Native People (TNP). By linking these newspapers, the overarching themes of 1970s Indigenous activism are explored in order to understand the social conditions faced by young Indigenous people. Through a content analysis of these newspapers, the author examines questions such as: what were the living conditions of Indigenous people during the 1970s? What mattered most to the journalists and editors of these papers? What did Indigenous grassroots activism in Western Canada look like …

Artefacts Of Encounter: Cook's Voyages, Colonial Collecting, And Museum Histories, Jeffrey Mifflin

Pacific Studies

Book review by Jeffrey Mifflin of "Artefacts of Encounter: Cook’s Voyages, Colonial Collecting, and Museum Histories".

Cultural Imprint: A History Of Northwest Coast Native And First Nations Prints, India Rael Young

Art & Art History ETDs

Cultural imPRINT provides the first substantive art historical investigation into Northwest Coast Indigenous prints. Since the 1960s, Northwest Coast artists have employed the print medium to share their histories, heritage, and culture amongst each other and with the larger world. Because print artists number in the hundreds, and print editions in the thousands, this dissertation takes a socio-cultural approach to understanding the purposes for the medium’s production and circulation. First, it analyzes the deep histories of reproduction in the North American art world and in Northwest Coast Indigenous communities, asserting that reproduction within coastal communities serves to perpetuate history from …

From Kipat To Kathmandu: A Failed Integration Of Limbu People Into The Nepali State In Biblate, Ilam, Andrew Blunt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In eastern Nepal, a territory historically known as Limbuwan, the Limbu people make up just under 400,000. Historically, this region and its people were accompanied by the practice of kipat, a system of land tenure and management as well as one of community and cultural governance. In 2021 (1964) the Land Act formally ended the practice of the kipat system and transferred all lands to the state held raikar form of tenure. With the end of the practice of kipat came the attempted integration of the Limbu people from their traditional governing systems into the burgeoning Nepali democracy. A combination …

Atole De Maíz Azul: Building Climate-Change Resilience With Local Knowledge/Food Sovereignty In Northern New Mexico, Katherine C.R. Dixon

Sustainability and Social Justice

The impacts of climate change in Northern New Mexico will cause a variation in seasonal precipitation and increased drought conditions. Northern New Mexico is home to numerous indigenous and rural-agricultural communities who rely on these water resources for subsistence and cultural practices. They are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

This paper investigates the impacts of climate change to Northern New Mexico. It examines the role of participatory methods and local knowledge in building community resilience. This paper is informed primarily through secondary research, and also draws upon a series of personalized interviews from Northern New …

Maya Conference Report - Pdf In English, Alan Lebaron

Maya Heritage Community Project Texts

Remembering the conference; on November 2016 in Mesa, AZ

Common Platforms And Devices Used To Access News About Native Americans, Rebekka J. Schlichting

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

The opening story about Ictinike and the buzzard is a traditional oral story from my Ioway Tribe culture. It represents the way in which Native American people historically shared information and stories. Today, Native stories are shared in multiple ways: oral, written, video, audio, websites, social media, etc. This research explored the ways in which Native Americans receive their stories today, specifically news stories about Native Americans. This research was done in order to see how news outlets could better serve Native populations in the U.S. In addition, I looked at which platforms and devices are most effective for Natives …

In The Land Of The Mountain Gods: Ethnotrauma And Exile Among The Apaches Of The American Southwest, M. Grace Hunt Watkinson

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In the mid to late nineteenth century, two Indigenous groups of New Mexico territory, the Mescalero and the Chiricahua Apaches, faced violence, imprisonment, and exile. During a century of settler influx, territorial changeovers, vigilante violence, and Indian removal, these two cousin tribes withstood an experience beyond individual pain best described as ethnotrauma. Rooted in racial persecution and mass violence, this ethnotrauma possessed layers of traumatic reaction that not only revolved around their ethnicity, but around their relationship with their home lands as well. Disconnected from the ritual resources and sacred geographies that made up every day Apache living, both groups …

Entering God’S Family: The Adoption Of Christian Names In The Early Bunun Presbyterian Church, Eastern Taiwan, Chun-Wei Fang

Pacific Studies

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in eastern Taiwan, this paper reconsiders the Bunun naming system, exploring how the adoption of Christian names among the Bunun reflects not passive cultural assimilation but active engagement with social change. This case study contributes to broader discussions on indigenization, religious conversion, and the role of naming in mediating cultural continuity and change.

North American Entomophagy, Joohi Schrader, Dennis G. A. B Oonincx, Maria Pontes Ferreira

Nutrition and Food Science Faculty Research Publications

Eating insects is not a common Northern American practice today. However, in the past a variety of insect species was consumed in Northern America (north of Mexico including Greenland). The aim of this literature review is to provide an historical overview of North American entomophagy based upon both peer and non-peer reviewed sources on this topic. Regional differences in insect consumption and reasons for being underreported are discussed. We show that North American natives, and in certain cases colonists, collected and consumed a large variety of edible insects. These are categorized per order and where available, information on how these …

Wholistic And Ethical: Social Inclusion With Indigenous Peoples, Kathleen E. Absolon

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

This paper begins with a poem and is inclusive of my voice as Anishinaabekwe (Ojibway woman) and is authored from my spirit, heart, mind and body. The idea of social inclusion and Indigenous peoples leave more to the imagination and vision than what is the reality and actuality in Canada. This article begins with my location followed with skepticism and hope. Skepticism deals with the exclusion of Indigenous peoples since colonial contact and the subsequent challenges and impacts. Hope begins to affirm the possibilities, strengths and Indigenous knowledge that guides wholistic cultural frameworks and ethics of social inclusion. A wholistic …

Violence Against Indigenous Males In Canada With A Focus On Missing And Murdered Indigenous Men, Jen Mt. Pleasant

Social Justice and Community Engagement

The literature review for this Major Research Project (MRP) documents research on violence against Indigenous women and leads to the following observation: if we look at the historical roots of why these women become targets of violence today, we realize that Indigenous men were also the targets of this very same historical colonial violence. Yet, research has shown that Indigenous males have largely been studied from the perspective of the perpetrators of violence and never as victims (Brownbridge, 2008; Brzozowski et al., 2006; Chenault, 2011; Dylan et al., 2008; Innes, 2015; RCMP, 2014; RCMP, 2015; Statistics Canada, 1998, 1999, 2003, …

Indigenous Poetics In Canada Edited By Neal Mcleod, Kelly Shepherd

The Goose

Review of Neal McLeod's Indigenous Poetics in Canada.

Conceptual Decolonization Of Space: Worldview And Language In Anishinaabe Akiing, Mark Freeland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of worldview and language in the cultural framework of American Indian people. In it I develop a theory of worldview which can be defined as an interrelated set of logics that orients a culture to space (land), time, the rest of life, and provides a prescription for understanding that life. Considering the strong links between language and worldview, it is methodologically necessary to focus on a particular language and culture to decolonize concepts of and relationships to land. In particular, this dissertation focuses on an Anishinaabe worldview as consisting of four components, which are; (1) …

Questions Of Methodology: A Review Of The August 2014 History Of Education Quarterly Special Issue, Abigail Gundlach-Graham

Education's Histories

This methodological review examines the August 2014 issue of History of Education Quarterly, which focuses on American Indian education history.

“Because We Have Really Unique Art”: Decolonizing Research With Indigenous Youth Using The Arts, Sarah Flicker, Jessica Yee Danforth, Ciann L. Wilson, Vanessa Oliver, June Larkin, Jean-Paul Restoule, Claudia Mitchell, Erin Konsmo, Randy Jackson, Tracey Prentice

Psychology Faculty Publications

Indigenous communities in Canada share a common history of colonial oppression. As a result, many Indigenous populations are disproportionately burdened with poor health outcomes, including HIV. Conventional public health approaches have not yet been successful in reversing this trend. For this study, a team of community- and university-based researchers came together to imagine new possibilities for health promotion with Indigenous youth. A strengths-based approach was taken that relied on using the energies and talents of Indigenous youth as a leadership resource. Art-making workshops were held in six different Indigenous communities across Canada in which youth could explore the links between …

A Holistic Aboriginal Framework For Individual Healing, Gus Hill

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

This paper offers up an holistic Indigenous model of individual healing that utilizes medicine wheel teachings to break down the four aspects (spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental) of individual wellness. Teachings about each direction are presented followed by practice techniques for each aspect of the individual self. It is bookended by an introduction to the historical trauma faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada, and a conclusion that draws implications for healing.

Aboriginal Research And Study Protocols, Dan Mcaullay, Colleen Hayward

Research outputs 2012

The Aboriginal Research and Study Protocols have been developed as a guide for ECU staff and students undertaking research, projects or fieldwork that involve Indigenous Australian issues, people or knowledge or that impact on Indigenous people or communities.

These protocols fulfil a strategic priority of ECU’s Reconciliation Action Plan: Develop clear and agreed protocols around Indigenous Australian research to ensure that research activity is informed by thorough cultural awareness and respect.

They also reflect the requirements of key documents that must be addressed by applicants as required by the ECU Human Research Ethics Committee. If the proposed project relates to …

The Effects Of Tribal Governments On Reservation Poverty Rates, Heather Raisch

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Poverty rates on Indian reservations are far higher than the national average. Since Tribal Governments have at least some control over these reservations, to what extent are they to blame for these higher than average poverty rates? I look at each reservation and their type of government, constitution, policies and demographics to analyze the causes of their poverty as it relates to tribal government. There are many other pieces of research that are similar to this, but none looking specifically at the overall effects the government has on its community. My hypothesis is that communities with higher poverty rates tend …

Woven Kin: Exploring Representation And Collaboration In Navajo Weaving Exhibitions, Teresa Maria Montoya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following recent trends in scholarship that establish museums as complex sites where representations of Native American cultures are actively negotiated, this thesis explores the relationship between representational strategies and the employment of critical Indigenous methodologies by museum institutions in the display of Navajo weavings. A postcolonial theoretical framework is utilized to analyze six Navajo weaving exhibition installments over the past decade. Additionally, a critical reflection is offered about the development of the author's collaborative exhibition, Na'ashjé'ii Biką' Biyiin (Chant of the Male Spider): A Holistic Journey with Diné Weaver Roy Kady, that reveals both the rewards and challenges of …

Collaboration And Capacity Building In The Classroom: A Decolonizing Teaching Agenda To Create A Cadre Of Indigenous Researchers, Holly M. Barker, Rochelle Tuitagava‘A Fonoti

Pacific Studies

This article explores collaborative anthropology as a response to indigenous critiques of outsider research in Oceania. Drawing from the authors' diverse positionalities and their experience teaching Anthropology, the paper reimagines the classroom as a space for co-learning, capacity building, and indigenous empowerment. By integrating participatory methods and traditional collaborative practices of Samoan and Marshallese communities, the study highlights how educational environments can foster sustainable research models and support a growing network of indigenous scholars.

Climate Change And Indigenous Peoples In Latin America, Amy C. Rademacher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on the detrimental effects of climate change on indigenous peoples in Latin America. Indigenous peoples throughout the region tend to live subsistence livelihoods, which tie them closely to their land and the surrounding environment. This close relationship often means that indigenous peoples acutely experience the effects of climate change and are more susceptible to its negative outcomes than other populations. Further, indigenous peoples in the region lack the mitigation and adaptation capacities to deal with damaging climatic effects.

This research was designed to view the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples through a human rights framework, …

Implications For Child Welfare Teaching And Human Services Personnel Perspectives Experiences Of Children With Special Needs, Sarah Huesmann

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.