Public Health Commons^™

Theorizing Indigenous Student Resistance, Radical Resurgence, And Reclaiming Spiritual Teachings About Tma’Áakni (Respect), Michelle M. Jacob, Kelly L. Gonzales, Chris Finley, Stephany Runninghawk Johnson

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Indigenous dispossession and environmental devastation are intertwined outcomes of settler colonialism’s cycle of violence. However, indigenous people continue to draw from cultural and spiritual teachings to resist such forms of violence, and engage in what Leanne Simpson calls “radical resurgence.” Our paper analyzes the Yakama elders’ teachings about Tma’áakni (Respect), to examine principles and forms of indigenous resistance and resurgence, demonstrated by indigenous students in support of the NoDAPL(No Dakota Access PipeLine) movement. Elders’ teachings, which are rooted in spiritual traditions held by indigenous peoples since time immemorial, are useful for understanding and articulating the importance of the contemporary indigenous …