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The small, above-ground masonry structures of northwestern New Mexico called "pueblitos" first came to the attention of anthropologists in over a century ago. In 1920, the noted archaeologist A.V. Kidder hypothesized that these masonry structures might have been built by Puebloan refugees fleeing Spanish reprisals in the wake of the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico after the Pueblo Revolt, and he proposed that this hypothesis be tested. Over the next several decades, however, the hypothesis remained untested, but it became both accepted as established fact and the basis for most anthropological, archaeological, and historical reconstructions of Navajo history and cultural development.

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Coal-fueled energy development in the Southwest has resulted in a controversy over claims of environmental damage and spiritual and social disruption to the Native American inhabitants of the region. Development has been supported through estimates of the economic benefits that will accrue to the Hopi and Navajo through the planned development. This research has developed a modeling approach to systematically and rationally assess the impacts of energy development on the Hopi and Navajo Tribes. The model incorporates a simulation technique that describes the Indian social systems over time with and without energy development. The variations within the system without energy development and with various levels of development allow insights into impacts. Computer control allows the model to consider many different decisions relative to energy development, and incorporated graphics allow for efficient and fast impact interpretation. The results of the model indicate that proposed impacts on the Native Americans have been exaggerated. Neither the economic impacts nor spiritual disruptions claimed are seen to occur. The model is seen to be a valuable tool for systematic analysis and the presentation of social impact information.

This study is about the impacts of the transportation of low level radioactive waste (LLRW) on American Indians. The terms American Indians, Native Americans, and Indians are used interchangeably throughout this report to refer to people who are members of tribes in the United States. The information contained in this report is valuable to non -Indian individuals, communities, and governments as well as to the tribes and the U.S. Department of Energy/Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) for which it was prepared. Many of the individuals who agreed to participate in this study asked if their non -Indian neighbors were also being given the opportunity to share their views and perspectives on the transportation of LLRW near and through their neighborhoods. Although this study was designed to include only Native Americans, it can serve as a model for additional studies in non –Indian communities. American Indian tribes have a unique status as sovereign nations within the U.S., and this study was designed to address that relationship.This study includes an assessment of social and cultural impacts. One type of impact assessment concerns the estimation and communication of risks associated with potentially dangerous technologies or substances. Such an assessment, a technological "risk assessment," is generally conducted by natural or physical scientists and focuses on the probability and magnitude of various scenarios through time (Wolfe 1988). The specialists who conduct the assessment believe their estimates reflect the "real risks" of a technology or project because the estimates were made using scientific calculations. This study is not a risk assessment. Instead, this study pays attention to the public perceptions of impacts and risks. Like other social scientists, the researchers and American Indian partners who designed and conducted this study focus on public perceptions and frame the discussions in terms of locally defined values and concerns.This study involves 29 tribes and subgroups and is therefore very complex. Every effort has been made to present information systematically to help the reader make sense of what is being presented. Information about the tribes is presented in the same order throughout the report.

Graduation from high school has become the accepted educational goal for most Americans and stands as the minimum requirement not only for higher education but also competitive positions in the employment market. The general public, the government, business, industry and education have great interest in the plans and decisions of high school graduates.

Food deserts are low-income areas lacking access to nutritious and affordable food. Such limited access has various implications for public health, particularly diet-related diseases such as diabetes. Among American Indian communities, diabetes is particularly rampant at nearly twice the rate of white populations in the U.S. On the Navajo Nation, diabetes incidence has been estimated to be as high as 1 in 3. According to the USDA, the majority of the Navajo Nation is considered a food desert. This paper utilizes food sovereignty as a lens for decolonization to identify the underlying causes of hunger and nutrition-related diseases within Diné communities. This paper will explore the histories of the change in the Diné diet and how colonial processes and the loss of traditional food systems affects current food and health patterns on the Navajo Nation. By expanding the scope of public health issues such as obesity and diabetes in Native American communities from food access and nutrition to power relations embedded in colonial structures that have resulted in the loss of indigenous sovereignty and power, I hope to pinpoint entry points for future indigenous researchers to develop and enact policies that will expand access to healthy and culturally significant foods on the Navajo Nation and contribute to efforts to restore food sovereignty of the Navajo Nation by rebuilding local food economies.

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abstract: Early childhood is a special and amazing period in a child's development. It is a period during which all facets of a human being-cognitive, linguistic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual--are rapidly developing and influenced by a child's interactions with her socializers and environment. Fundamentally, what happens during this critical period will influence and impact a child's future learning. Much of what is known about children's development comes from research focusing primarily on mainstream English speaking children. However, not much that is known about Indigenous children and their early period of child development. Therefore, this thesis research focused on Diné children and their early childhood experiences that occur during the fundamental time period before Diné children enter preschool. It also examines the contemporary challenges that Diné parents and other cultural caretakers face in ensuring that Diné infants and young children are taught those important core elements that make them uniquely Diné. The research questions that guide this thesis are: 1.What do Diné people believe about children and their abilities? 2.What do Diné children need to learn in order to become Diné? 3. What are the Diné childhood rearing beliefs and practices? 4. Why aren't Diné parents and grandparents teaching their children how to be Diné? Findings reveal an early childhood experience in which children are viewed as true explorers and highly intelligent, inquisitive learners and included as integral participants and contributors to the family and community. This thesis concludes with a discussion of the multidimensional transitions, such as the shift from the Diné language to English in Diné homes and communities that have occurred in the Diné way of life and how they have impacted how Diné children are socialized. Creative alternatives for increasing Diné childhood speakers on and off the Navajo reservation are also considered. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Curriculum and Instruction 2011