American emigrants frequently encountered Native North Americans during the overland trail migrations of the 1840s-1860s. This study examines the frequency and nature of those interactions in two geographic sections: the first half of the trail, from the Missouri River to the eastern slope of the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, and the second half, from the western slope of South Pass to Oregon City, Oregon. While the predominant historiography of these migrations has focused on a binary of hostile or non-hostile interactions between Indians and emigrants, the focus on violence has obscured the larger issue of frequent and amicable interactions between emigrants and Indian peoples along the overland route. Factors such as trade, the availability of resources, and cultural differences influenced the nature of these inter-ethnic interactions, which varied from the beginning of the trail on the Plains to the end of the trail on the Columbia Plateau.

This thesis examines the massacres of the Plains Indian Wars in the United States (1851-1890) and how they relate to contemporary theories of genocide. By using the Plains Indian Wars as a case study, a critique can be made of theories which inform predictive models and genocide policy. This thesis analyzes newspaper articles, histories, congressional investigations, presidential speeches, and administrative policies surrounding the four primary massacres perpetrated by the United States during this time. An ideology of racial superiority and fears of insecurity, impurity, and insurgency drove the actions of the white settler-colonialists and their military counterparts. Still, despite the theoretical emphasis on massacre in genocide theory, massacres on the Plains were relatively rare compared to the use of other genocidal tactics. This demonstrates that contemporary genocide theorists must be careful not to unintentionally limit thinking on genocide to strict military or militia led violence.

O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as espécies de fungos fitopatogênicos presentes em sementes de P. guenoarum Arech. ecótipo “Azulão”, bem como, verificar a sensibilidade in vitro dos fungos isolados a diferentes fungicidas e avaliar a eficiência do tratamento químico no controle de fungos e no desempenho fisiológico das sementes. Cinco lotes de sementes (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 e 2015), obtidos de área experimental na EEA/UFRGS, foram analisados quanto à qualidade física e fisiológica através dos testes de umidade, pureza, germinação e vigor (PCG, IVG e TZ). Para a avaliação da qualidade sanitária fez-se o isolamento dos fungos fitopatogênicos associados às sementes pelo método de “blotter test”. A patogenicidade dos fungos encontrados foi avaliada por inoculação de plântulas, através de suspensões de conídios. Os fungos fitopatogênicos foram caracterizados através de análise morfológica e molecular. Para a caracterização molecular utilizou-se o espaçador interno de transcrição de rDNA [primers ITS1 / ITS4] e o gene RNA polimerase II (RPB2) [primers 5f2 / 7cr]. Por meio de ensaios de fungitoxicidade in vitro, estudou-se a sensibilidade dos isolados fúngicos detectados nas sementes, testando-se quatro fungicidas (Carboxina + Tiram, Cabendazim + Tiram, Metalaxil-M + Fludioxonil e Tiofanato-metílico) e cinco concentrações (1; 2,5; 5; 10 e 30 ppm), determinando-se a DL50. Os fungicidas mais eficientes foram avaliados no tratamento das sementes, somente no lote 2015. Os lotes 2014 e 2015 apresentaram maior porcentagem de germinação e vigor. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as espécies de fungos fitopatogênicos presentes em sementes de P. guenoarum Arech. ecótipo “Azulão”, bem como, verificar a sensibilidade in vitro dos fungos isolados a diferentes fungicidas e avaliar a eficiência do tratamento químico no controle de fungos e no desempenho fisiológico das sementes. Cinco lotes de sementes (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 e 2015), obtidos de área experimental na EEA/UFRGS, foram analisados quanto à qualidade física e fisiológica através dos testes de umidade, pureza, germinação e vigor (PCG, IVG e TZ). Para a avaliação da qualidade sanitária fez-se o isolamento dos fungos fitopatogênicos associados às sementes pelo método de “blotter test”. A patogenicidade dos fungos encontrados foi avaliada por inoculação de plântulas, através de suspensões de conídios. Os fungos fitopatogênicos foram caracterizados através de análise morfológica e molecular. Para a caracterização molecular utilizou-se o espaçador interno de transcrição de rDNA [primers ITS1 / ITS4] e o gene RNA polimerase II (RPB2) [primers 5f2 / 7cr]. Por meio de ensaios de fungitoxicidade in vitro, estudou-se a sensibilidade dos isolados fúngicos detectados nas sementes, testando-se quatro fungicidas (Carboxina + Tiram, Cabendazim + Tiram, Metalaxil-M + Fludioxonil e Tiofanato-metílico) e cinco concentrações (1; 2,5; 5; 10 e 30 ppm), determinando-se a DL50. Os fungicidas mais eficientes foram avaliados no tratamento das sementes, somente no lote 2015. Os lotes 2014 e 2015 apresentaram maior porcentagem de germinação e vigor. / This study was aimed to determine the phytopathogenic fungi species present in P. guenoarum Arech seeds. "Azulão" ecotype, as well as to verify the in vitro sensitivity of the isolated fungi to different fungicides and to evaluate the efficiency of the chemical treatment in the control of fungi and the physiological performance of the seeds. Five seed lots (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), obtained from the experimental area of the EEA / UFRGS, were analyzed for physical and physiological quality by means of moisture, purity, germination and vigor tests (PCG, IVG and TZ). For the evaluation of the sanitary quality, the phytopathogenic fungi associated to the seeds were isolated by the blotter test method. The pathogenicity of the fungi found was evaluated by inoculation of seedlings by conidial suspensions. Phytopathogenic fungi were characterized by morphological and molecular analysis. The internal transcription spacer of rDNA [primers ITS1 / ITS4] and RNA polymerase II (RPB2) [primers 5f2 / 7cr] was used for the molecular characterization. The sensitivity of the fungal isolates detected in the seeds was evaluated using four fungicides (Carboxin + Thiram, Cabendazim + Thiram, Metalaxyl-M + Fludioxonil and Thiophanate-methyl) and five concentrations (1; 2,5; 5; 10 and 30 ppm), the LD50 being determined. The most efficient fungicides were evaluated in the treatment of seeds only in lot 2015. The lots 2014 and 2015 presented a higher percentage of germination and vigor. The species of phytopathogenic fungi most frequent in seed lots of P. guenoarum ecotype "Azulão" are Bipolaris micropus, Curvularia geniculata, Fusarium incarnatum and Phoma herbarum. In vitro conditions, the fungicide Carboxin + Thiram inhibits the mycelial growth of the fungi F. incarnatum, C. geniculata and B. micropus with high efficacy (LD50 < 1 ppm), whereas Metalaxyl + Fludioxonil inhibits with high efficacy the fungi P. herbarum, C. geniculata and B. micropus. The chemical treatment with the fungicides Carboxin + Thiram, Metalaxyl-M + Fludioxonil and the combination of both products in the seeds of P. guenoarum is efficient in the control of B. micropus, C. geniculata, F. incarnatum and P. herbarum and promotes better physiological performance.

Master of Science / Biology / Keith B. Gido / Negative interactions with nonnative fish are often cited as a leading cause of declining native fish populations, but quantifying these interactions is difficult. Movement ecology and consumptive demand estimates of nonnative fish predators is needed to better understand potential impacts these organisms are having on native species. The objective of this thesis were to estimate the consumptive demand of Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris on native fishes across an elevational gradient, and characterize the movement at hourly, daily, and seasonal scales of this introduced predator. This research was conducted in the upper Gila River basin of southwestern New Mexico. Bioenergetics modeling was used to estimate consumptive demand; model results were coupled with measured densities and size structure of Flathead Catfish populations, and water temperatures, to predict its predatory threat. Potential consumption was highest at lower elevation sites because of higher water temperatures, but actual consumption was highest at mid-elevation sites because of the prevalence of large-bodied individuals. Potential annual consumptive demand of Flathead Catfish on native fish across our nine sampling sites ranged from 0.0 to 3.1 g/m²/yr, which exceeded native fish productivity at one site. To characterize the movement of Flathead Catfish, we used radio telemetry and tracked individuals from May 2014 to June 2015. Movement behaviors varied among individuals with a majority moving <150 m from capture location and some more mobile, moving substantial distances (692-42,840 m). During the course of the study, activity was greatest in summer and fall, and individuals moving substantial distances moved downstream to warmer river reaches before the winter. Nightly movements only involved short distances (5 m) and no fish exceeded a single movement >80 m. Daily activity was greatest during evening but late afternoon activity was observed in summer and fall. Results from this study identify areas within the upper Gila River where introduced Flathead Catfish consumption is likely to negatively impact native fish populations and managers can use this information to understand potential overlap with native species, target future removal efforts in areas where these fish are concentrated, and avoid stocking native fishes in reaches where Flathead Catfish tend to aggregate.

Master of Science / Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Candice A. Shoemaker / Low fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and low physical activity (PA) levels are linked to increased risk of chronic diseases such as overweight and obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular diseases. American Indians/Alaska Natives (NA) seem to be even more susceptible to these chronic diseases when compared to the general United States (U.S.) population, though little research has been conducted on smaller NA tribes. Gardening has been shown to increase vegetable consumption and be a means of PA. The purpose of this study was to see if gardeners of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe (PBPN) in Kansas were more likely to have positive health indicators than non-gardeners. The objective was to discover if PBPN gardeners were more likely than non-gardeners to eat the daily recommended amount of fruit (2 servings) (Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2015a), eat the daily recommended amount of vegetables (3 servings) (Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 2015b), meet the weekly recommended amount of PA (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009), perceive their health to be good, and determine if PBPN gardeners meet the weekly recommended amount of PA through gardening activities. Surveys were utilized to gather gardening and health information for PBPN tribal members. Data was coded and descriptive and contingent statistical analyses were performed. Gardeners were more likely than non-gardeners to eat the daily recommended amount of vegetables, the daily amount of both FV, and meet all FV and PA recommendations. Most gardeners met PA recommendations through gardening activities. Gardeners were not more likely than non-gardeners to eat the daily recommended amount of fruit, meet the recommended amount of PA, or to perceive their health as good. Encouraging gardening seems promising as a means of encouraging healthy lifestyles.

abstract: This paper primarily focuses on the Hopi Tribe of northeastern Arizona and how historical events shaped the current perception and applications of educational systems on the Hopi reservation. This thesis emphasizes the importance of understanding historical contexts of a community in order to understand the current predicament and to devise solutions to contemporary issues in which I primarily focus on education. Education is broken down in regards to the Hopi communities by history, how this history has affected those communities, ideas of sovereignty and power within education and then future probable solutions to integrating language and culture into Hopi schools. This research is primarily literature and educational reports on the Hopi Tribe and other American Indian communities. The research was then compiled to find commonalities with other Indian communities to depict barriers to educational success as well as effects of western education such as traditional culture and language decline. Solutions and results that other Indian communities had devised were also researched to determine if they could be incorporated into the Hopi educational system and if they supported the language and culture that the Hopi people are trying to retain. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Social and Cultural Pedagogy 2014

abstract: This study questioned how the Navajo Nation was going to mitigate and/or adapt to Global Climate Change. By employing a Diné philosophy based research methodology this study seeks to holistically reframe the lens that the Navajo Nation conceptualizes Global Climate Change. The study uses a comprehensive review of literature that pertained to four research questions. The research questions are: 1) What do Diné oral histories say about climate change? 2) How is the Navajo Nation going to mitigate and adapt to changes to the climate using Western knowledge? 3) How can Diné research methodologies help inform policies that will mitigate and adapt to climate change? 4) What type of actions and frameworks can the Navajo Nation use to generate meaningful policy? The study utilizes a Diné philosophy based analytical framework to focus on how climate change will affect the Diné peoples' A) spirituality, B) economic sustainability, C) family-community, and D) home-environment. The findings are: a) the Navajo spiritual ceremonies are process models that can be used to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change, and they must continue to be practiced. b) The economic development section revealed that economic security is not found solely in resource development, but in the security of ceremonial knowledge. The burden of the Navajo government however, is not to promote labor, but the ability for people to live into old age. c) Because families and communities drive Diné philosophy, Diné families and communities must remember how to treat each other with respect. The collective survival of the Navajo Nation always depended on this teaching. d) The findings of the home-environment section is that Diné have to acknowledge that their lives are fragile in the face of global climate change, and the only way that they can live happily is to trust the power of the stories of the ancestors, and seek to embody the Diné philosophy. This study succeeded as an honest attempt to apply an Indigenous Diné methodology to reframe Global Climate Change into a phenomenon that is survivable. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Liberal Studies 2015

abstract: Tłįchǫ, an indigenous Dene nation of subarctic Canada, maintain subsistence lifestyles based on what they consider traditional foods. Caribou are the primary Tłįchǫ food animal and their reliance on caribou culminates in a complex relationship of give and take. Tłįchǫ demonstrate reciprocity for the caribou to give their flesh to hunters. Caribou populations in Canada’s Northwest Territories have rapidly declined and the government of Canada’s Northwest Territories implemented hunting restrictions in 2010 to protect caribou herds from extinction. Some Tłįchǫ, however, maintain that caribou are in hiding, not decline, and that caribou have chosen to remain inaccessible to humans due to human disrespect toward them. Many Tłįchǫ have responded to hunting restrictions and the lack of caribou by calling for respectful hunting practices to demonstrate to caribou that they are needed and thus resulting in the animal continuing to give itself. I examine Tłįchǫ responses to contemporary caribou scarcity through three stages of Dene foodways: getting food, sharing food, and returning food and caribou remains back to the land. Analysis of Dene foodways stages reveals complex social relationships between hunters, animals, and other beings in the environment such as ancestors and the land that aids their exchange. Food is integral to many studies of indigenous religions and environmental relations yet the effects of dependence on the environment for food on social dynamics that include human and other beings have not been adequately addressed. Foodways as a component to theories of indigenous environmental relationships explain Tłįchǫ attitudes toward caribou. I draw from my ethnographic research, wherein I lived with Tłįchǫ families, studied the Tłįchǫ language, and participated in Tłįchǫ foodways such as hunting, fishing, and sharing food, to explicate Tłįchǫ foodways in relation to their worldviews and relationships with beings in the environment. I demonstrate how foodways, as an analytical category, offers a glimpse into Dene perceptions of non-human entities as something with which humans relate, while I simultaneously demonstrate the limits of environmental relations. My attention to foodways reveals the necessity of sustenance as a primary motivation for indigenous relationships to other beings, culminating in complex social dynamics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 2015

abstract: The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the lives of highly educated Navajo women who, with their children, left the comfort of their homeland to pursue their careers. Using qualitative research methods, five Navajo women were asked to reflect on their lives while on the reservation and in their new location off the Navajo reservation. Among the topics explored were the principal factors as to their leaving the reservation, barriers and supports they faced in their careers, what cultural transitions they experienced, and the effects on their careers, their families and to their personal sense of self. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2016

abstract: The question of whether there has been an American Indian genocide has been contested, when genocide is defined according to the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Yet, I argue that both social and cultural genocide of American Indians has had volatile consequences for both Native and non-Native peoples. Because of the contested nature of this genocide, American Indian Studies scholars contend that Indigenous people's experiences often get marginalized and reconstructed, relegating stories to the category oppression, rather than proof of genocide, which has created intellectual and social absences (Vizenor 2009). Other American Indian Studies scholars argue for reform within American Indian educational settings, where Indigenous nations use their values and traditions within curricula to combat national absences. Despite excellent work on American Indian education, scholars have not addressed the central questions of how such absences affect both Native and non-Native students, why those absences exist, and why the U.S. dialogue around genocide is a rhetoric of avoidance and erasure, once any comparison begins with other genocide victims. Without adequate analysis of both American Indian genocide and absences within curricula, particularly humanities courses such as literature, where stories about American Indians can have a prominent space, we undervalue their impact on America's past and present histories, as well as current knowledges and values. Erasure of American Indian presence affects both Native and non-Native youth. Many American Indians are traumatized and believe their tribe’s stories are not worthy of inclusion. As well many non-Natives are unaware of Indigenous experiences and often left with stereotypes rather than realities. A Haudenosaunee paradigm of Good Mind can re-situate how we think about the canon, literature, and the classroom. The Good Mind allows for a two-way path where ideas pass back and forth, respecting differences, rather than replacing those differences with one ideology. This path is meant to open minds to connections with others which are kind and loving and lead to peaceful relationships. Theorizing literary erasure and genocide of the mind through experiences from Native and non-Native students and teachers embodies the Good Mind. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2017