Historically, research on Aboriginal education issues has ignored the needs of Aboriginal people and disempowered the Aboriginal community. This thesis seeks to offer a corrective to that trend. The intent of the thesis research was to establish a process for conducting educational research with one Aboriginal community - the Dakota People of Wahpeton which would enable this community to have a legitimate voice and control over future research that will be conducted on their behalf. A methodology called community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) was utilized because it provided the means for community input and direction. Through the use of CBPR, collaborative relationships were established with 20 Dakota People of Wahpeton, who were identified as the research participants. The interview was used as the primary research method. The thesis discusses how the conflict between two cultural world views - the Aboriginal view of the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota People, generally referred to as "Sioux", and the contemporary Western view - was resolved within the process of implementing the Community-Based Participatory Research methodology. This resolution of differences was accomplished by bridging, then mirroring, the methodologies and ways of gaining knowledge unique to these two respective cultural world views. Additionally, theoretical and practical suggestions are offered so that the thesis might serve as a model for Dakota-Nakota-Lakota Community-Based Participatory Research in the future. In keeping with Community-Based Participatory Research, the voice of the people will be emphasized in this thesis, through extensive use of quotes. Furthermore, the voice of the researcher will be clearly identified so that he may be held accountable for his input.

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<p>  </p> <p>Free-roaming dogs on Native American Reservations are called rez dogs on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD. Understanding the human-rez dog relationship is needed to develop best management practices. As a member of the Oglala Lakota nation and a resident of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, I used a combination of western scientific methods and Lakota ways of knowing to research how rez dogs are related to their human caretakers on the Pine Ridge Reservation. First, I determined how they are related to humans spatially. To do this, I installed trail cameras at 73 sites distributed within four zones around six communities on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I analyzed presence-absence and count data to estimate how human habitat covariates influenced rez dog occurrence and abundance. My results show that rez dog occupancy and abundance is related to human habitation and emphasizes the importance of considering human caretakers when developing best management practices. To investigate how human caretakers may perceive rez dogs and current management practices on the Pine Ridge Reservation, I used semi-structured questionnaires. I distributed surveys to 107 residents at grocery stores and convenience stores within five towns. The survey assessed the communities' perceptions of rez dog overpopulation, and topics related to their attitude toward dogs overall and rez dog sterilization programs. I used ordinal regression to determine if community member demographics, the number of people and dogs in the household, and distance to the veterinary clinic influenced these variables. My results show community members support rez dog sterilization programs and that policymakers should focus on free or low-cost sterilization programs for ambiguously owned rez dogs in conjunction with owned dogs. In addition, these results highlight how the economic disparity and lack of culturally appropriate methods of rez-dog population control prevent effective management of rez dogs. This dynamic is one example of how the settler-colonialism structure continues to negatively impact Native American communities and prevent effective, efficient, and ethical ways to manage rez dogs. I describe how the Lakota ways of knowing can be used to develop best management practices for rez dogs that are culturally appropriate. I describe the seven Lakota values, lessons learned from the Lakota dog creation story, and approaches to Lakota research methodologies. This paper introduces an example of a seven-generation, One Health framework that implements Lakota ways of knowing to establish rez dog management and centers community values, beginning generational healing through <em>Shunka </em>(dog) caretaking. In conclusion, this research describes how rez dogs are related to us spatially, by occupying the same area as us, and how we are related within a social context, with dogs being an indicator of our own well-being as humans. </p>

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This thesis analyzes the colonization and traditional spiritual practices of the Ioway people to show that their traditions have survived the effects of colonization also known as white settlers. I focus on issues of cultural traditional exhibition dance and that complicates the question of the nation-state’s exclusively trying to dissemble the Native Ioway Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska of colonization and the effects on the Ioway people past and present. I use personal experience of being a tribal member to discuss how the tribes’ oral history allows for the preservation of Ioway cultural identity and religious traditions.

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