Thesis (M.F.A.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2006. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ronald Tobias. Includes DVD. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-47).

Abstract For All My Relations is a narrative representation of an autobiographical narrative inquiry into my experiences as an Aboriginal graduate student negotiating the complexities of learning about, and engaging in, Indigenous research. The research puzzle centers on my wonders about the responsibilities of an Aboriginal graduate student choosing to engage in research with Aboriginal peoples in ethically responsible ways. The field texts for the inquiry are my writings over two years: final papers, response journals, assignments, and life writings. Using a narrative inquiry methodology, I identify tensions and bumping points in coming to understand Indigenous research, and in doing so, I have come to a deeper understanding of the impact of these moments on my identity as researcher in the making and on my sense of belonging. I also attend to the social and institutional narratives about Aboriginal people in which my storied experiences are nested. Issues of ethical obligations, relationship, and responsibility are central in my inquiry, and speak to the complexities of wrestling with the questions of researchers right to tell and viewing people through a lens. The findings of my inquiry add to the emerging literature of Indigenous research and narrative inquiry, and their connections. The findings also present insights into the experiences of an Aboriginal graduate, and the notion of identity and belonging. Most importantly, this narrative inquiry enabled me to work through my lived tensions, discomforts, and unease, and to restory my experiences; this process allowed me to grow more confident in my ability to continue to engage in Indigenous research in ethically and relationally responsible ways. My inquiry begins with my experiences of not belonging and feeling less than, and concludes, in the midst, with a counterstory to tell. Counterstories are saving stories for me and for all my relations, past, present, and future. / Indigenous Peoples Education

This research focuses on documenting the efforts of the Waponahki people to design and pass legislated policy that effectively addresses racism and the process of colonization in school curriculum. The Waponahki, Indigenous to Maine and the Maritime Provinces, set precedent in both Canada and the United States during the late 1990s for the development of progressive educational policy that was implemented as legislated policy; two public laws and one state rule. Research on these policies, including the processes of their development, is significant because it provides an educational and social justice policy-making model. This work also contributes to the emerging discourse on Indigenous Research Methodologies as critical to the transformation of policy development theory and practice amongst Indigenous peoples. In Alberta, Canada, the Aboriginal student population is the fastest growing of any other race/ethnicity in the province (Alberta Learning Commission, 2005). However, Aboriginal students have the highest drop-out rates, and are least likely of any group to complete university (Frideres, 2005 & Statistics Canada, 2001). Experiences of racism in schools continue and are cited as a leading reason for Aboriginal student attrition, and the implementation of policy and practice that values Aboriginal worldviews is key to Aboriginal student success in school systems (Hampton & St. Denis 2004, Wotherspoon & Schissel, 2003). This research documents and analyzes the development of such policy from the lens of an Indigenous Waponahki researcher. The project is also unique because it specifically articulates a Waponahki epistemology and ontology as its foundational research methodology. Guided by the essence, practice, and principles of Waponahki basket weaving and creation story, the project examines two key pieces of legislation (public law) and one state rule that address racism and support language revitalization: in 2000, Maine Public Law Chapter 27, Title 1 MRSA 1102, more widely known as the Squaw Law; in 2001,Maine Public Law, Chapter 403, Title 20-A MRSA 4706, known as the Wabanaki Studies Law; and in 2005, the Native Language Endorsement Rule, Maine Department of Education, 05 071 CMR 115 Part II section 1.17, a state rule authorized by the state legislature. The study employs data collection methods that examine published documents, texts and individual interviews related to the three examples of legislated policy. Discussions address not only the challenges and opportunities of designing and implementation, but also speak to how these legislated policies function in practice as policies that work toward Waponahki survival and beyond. By discussing the development of these three specific examples as policies that evolved from the knowledge, traditions and colonial experiences of Waponahki people, this research describes and analyses how Waponahki ways of knowing (epistemology) and ways of being (ontology) inform policy-making processes in Maine. / Indigenous Peoples Education

The growing accessibility to the global community has allowed historically marginalized groups the opportunity to assert their positions on a global stage. The difficulty of States to enforce necessary protections of land and representation has allowed the entrance of new powerful international organizations with expansive networks to play a role in domestic policies. The largest indigenous group in Panama, the Ngöbe, has suffered from poor unification and political organization, weakening their position vis-à-vis the State. Recently, under the perceived threat of a large development project, the hydroelectric dam Chan 75, some Ngöbe groups have been able to make connections to bring awareness to their conflicts by appealing to distant sympathizers through international networks. These linkages are limited in their ability to force a change in national policy; however, these efforts are not in vain. The outcomes of the continuous negotiations that occur in the space of the physical development site are continuously changing to create the opportunity for the greater participation of the Ngöbe, who benefit from the leverage provided by international norms and vigilance.

Interest in indigenous knowledge (IK) research has grown since the 1980s, and more recently the topic has drawn attention in information sciences research. At the same time, the evolution of electronic information and communication technologies (ICTs), most notably development of the Internet, has profoundly influenced information sciences research. This study explores perceptions of community members involved in the creation, development, and use of digital libraries with indigenous knowledge materials. Research methods used in data collection include a quantitative survey distributed to community members involved in the creation, development, and use of digital libraries with indigenous knowledge materials and qualitative analysis of the research process. The study proposes a framework of guidelines to conduct future research on digital libraries with indigenous knowledge that includes: acknowledging the reality of the community involved in creating, developing, and using digital libraries with indigenous knowledge materials; developing appropriate research methods for this community; and identifying specific actions for such research.

No description available.

This thesis deals with issues of indigeneity, warfare and representation as they relate to the Zapatista struggle in Chiapas, Mexico between the years of 1994-2003 –a period widely known as a period of low intensity warfare. During this period, militants of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) engaged fiercely in the creation and defence of de facto “indigenous” municipalities and territories, posing a direct challenge to the legitimacy of the Mexican “state” and its faculty to govern. The environment of war, accompanied by a prevalent Indianist discourse, highly structured the ways in which Zapatista lives came to be represented by activist and academic writings alike. Generic images of Zapatista militants came to dominate the literature. Within this context, my thesis argues for the importance of moving away from images of Zapatistas as public figures and investigating, instead, everyday Zapatista lives. I argue that a refocus on specific-situated-local-everyday politics necessarily entails engaging with “internal” conflict, division, hierarchies, and power differentials. Framed by an ethnographic approach, the analysis presented here is based on 17 months of fieldwork. My discussion on indigenous autonomy and self-determination, therefore, goes well beyond claims to indigenous rights and engages, instead, historical as well as on-the-ground expressions of what self-determination looked like on an everyday basis. My discussion on warfare, moves beyond condemnations of militarization in the area and pays attention to some of the ways in which warfare worked to structure peoples’ lives and daily perceptions as well as outsiders’ understanding of the conflict. While generally my analysis is confined by the particularities of time and space, a generous examination of an ample literature gives it theoretical depth and political relevance beyond the Zapatista case.

The purpose of this study was to document the perspectives and experiences of five Indigenous Elders on the potential for Indigenous and Western healing paradigms and practices to be integrated in mental health service delivery for Indigenous peoples. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with each participant, and a narrative analysis was used to generate research themes and findings. Results indicated that all five Elders perceived a potential for Indigenous and Western approaches and practitioners to work collaboratively together in the future, and Elders reported varying levels of experience with integrated healthcare delivery. However, all five Elders identified numerous issues requiring attention and steps to be taken prior to integrated practice taking place. These included the need to reclaim Indigenous knowledge, an acceptance and respect for Indigenous knowledge and practices by the Western healthcare system, and the need for increased and formalized education related to Indigenous knowledge and healing approaches.

The purpose of this study was to document the perspectives and experiences of five Indigenous Elders on the potential for Indigenous and Western healing paradigms and practices to be integrated in mental health service delivery for Indigenous peoples. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with each participant, and a narrative analysis was used to generate research themes and findings. Results indicated that all five Elders perceived a potential for Indigenous and Western approaches and practitioners to work collaboratively together in the future, and Elders reported varying levels of experience with integrated healthcare delivery. However, all five Elders identified numerous issues requiring attention and steps to be taken prior to integrated practice taking place. These included the need to reclaim Indigenous knowledge, an acceptance and respect for Indigenous knowledge and practices by the Western healthcare system, and the need for increased and formalized education related to Indigenous knowledge and healing approaches.

The Yukon Umbrella Final Agreement was signed in 1993 and Chapter 16 allows Yukon First Nations to govern wildlife harvest on traditional territories. First Nation governments manage wildlife using traditional ecological knowledge and have started to collect harvest data to inventory wildlife use and incorporate in management. A workshop, hosted near Lake Laberge by Ta�an Kw�ch��n, facilitated discussion amongst First Nation delegates regarding wildlife harvest data collection was conducted November 5 and 6, 2009. A questionnaire was conducted prior to the workshop to provide guidance for discussion topics. The workshop had four objectives: 1) understand the importance of First Nation harvest data and how the data will be used during management decisions, 2) discuss methods used to collect harvest data and potential for a unified approach, 3) discuss potential methods for storing data, protecting confidentiality while allowing effective management, and 4) produce a document that can be used to implement or improve harvest data collection. This project will fulfill the fourth objective by summarizing the workshop content, explore the factors that promote and hinder data collection, and the intermediate and long-term objectives that will allow First Nation governments to become effective co-management partners while ensuring their traditional lifestyle and connection to the land is not lost.