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American Indians are distinct in their current geographic isolation and history of exclusionary policies enacted against them. Citizenship and territorial policies from the 1700s through the early 1900s have manifested in the distinctive status of many American Indian communities as sovereign nations, a classification that no other ethnic group in the United States can claim. However, as a result of political and geographic isolation, disparities in heath and economic development have been an ongoing problem within these communities. Among the most distinctive health disparities are in infant mortality and obesity-related complications. This project will focus on South Dakota, a state that was late in its application of assimilationist policies, yet today is home to some of the least healthy reservation communities in the United States. An investigation into the making of reservation healthcare delivery systems and patterns of prenatal care utilization will hopefully reveal patterns of health and economic characteristics that predispose infant mortality. / Master of Science

American Indian women veterans of World War II are the least known group of World War II military veterans. With an estimated wartime enlistment of eight-hundred, these women have not received the academic attention they deserve and very little information on their lives and military experiences has been available. This project addresses this disparity by focusing on certain key questions. What early life experiences influenced these Native women to enlist in the military? Did their experiences affect their adjustment to military life? What were their duty assignments and stations and how did their military experiences influence their life choices in the years after the war? In other words, did their military experiences contribute to or influence their commitment to their communities and to the greater good for indigenous peoples? Equally as important, how did their feelings about the war change over time? What emphasis did they place on their military service? What common themes emerge among these women and do their experiences reflect or differ from those of their Native male counterparts and of other military women during World War II? These questions are approached through an oral history format utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods and theories of collective memory. This project also explores the issue of Native and tribal identities as they influenced these veterans in their decisions regarding military enlistment and community service.

abstract: In Indian Country, the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault crimes have been described as arduous task. More so, determining whether the federal, state, or tribal government has criminal jurisdiction is perplexing. The various U.S. Supreme Court decisions and Federal Indian policies that influence tribal sovereignty restrict tribal government's authority over violent crimes that occur on tribal lands. In my thesis, I discuss U.S. Supreme Court decisions and federal Indian policies create a framework for colonial management and federal paternalism in Indian Country, which restrict tribal sovereignty and sentencing authority in criminal cases that occur on tribal lands and against their citizens. I introduce the Indigenous Woman's Justice Paradigm as a conceptual framework for Indian nations to develop an alternate system for responding to sexual assault crimes on tribal lands. The purpose of my research is to promote the cultural renewal of Indigenous justice practices to develop sexual assault jurisprudence or reform tribal rape law that are victim-centered and community controlled. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis American Indian Studies 2015