<p> This dissertation investigates issues of representation surrounding the American Indian (NDN) and the mixedblood. By conflating images of the trickster as described by NDN scholars with the postmodern theories of Donna Haraway, I explore in my dissertation how the trickster provides a way of viewing formerly accepted boundaries of identity from new perspectives. As cyborg, the trickster is in the "system," but it is also enacting change by pushing against those boundaries, exposing them as social fictions. I create a cyborg trickster heuristic, using it as a lens with which to both analyze how NDNs construct online identities and the rhetorical maneuvers they undergo. Moving beyond access issues, I show how NDNs are strengthening their presence through social media. Ultimately, I argue that the cyborg trickster shows how identities (NDN and non-NDN alike) are multiply-created and constantly in flux, transcending the traditional boundaries of self and other, online and offline, space and place, to allow for a new understanding of the individual in society and society within the individual.</p>

<p> The Nahuatl language spoken by Aztec/Mexica continues to be spoken throughout Central Mexico and in the Huasteca region. Variation within the Huasteca has yet to be fully explored, and this study integrates a questionnaire published by Lastra and interviews I conducted with native speakers representing different communities. The data produced from this were used to find features that distinguish different towns and then were analyzed using cladistics, a phylogenetic method used by biologists to propose a hypothesis of the evolutionary relationships among species, and which has also been used by linguists. The output suggests there is a large split between northwest and southeast regions of the Huasteca, and that the northeast villages compose a subregion on their own. One can trace the relationships between communities on the output tree and follow a path backwards towards Central Mexico, suggesting a north-east migration.</p>

<p> The Toltec Mounds site (3LN42) (A.D. 700-1050) in central Arkansas has intrigued archaeologists for decades. Although it dates well within the Woodland Period and has many features characteristic of a Woodland Period site, including grog-tempered pottery and a reliance on hunting and gathering, its mound-and-plaza layout is an architectural design suggestive of the later Mississippi Period (A.D. 1000-1500). This confusion is addressed in this thesis by examining two ceramic assemblages from different building stages of Mound D, the last mound to be altered at the site. The ceramics show an affiliation with northeastern Arkansas that has been underemphasized in the past, and that may provide more information on Toltec's relationships with its neighbors through the end of the Woodland Period.</p>

This thesis examines the role played by European-made glass beads and other manufactured goods in first contact of Europeans with Native American Indian populations in Oregon, California and Washington. Utilising both the historical and archaeological record, the activities of the Spanish in Alta California, the Russians in Northern California, the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Pacific Northwest Coast companies are examined, highlighting their use of beads in gift giving and exchange with the Indians. The sources of the large volume of glass beads are presented and their method of manufacture discussed. The way In which different European nationalities and organisations progressed geographically and in the intensity of their interactions with the native populations is reflected in the archaeological assemblages, whilst processes of exchange and the use of trinkets such as beads in subjugation and pacification are clarified by study of the historical sources. Different European groups used such materials through the mission system, by pacification of groups to ensure access and safe passage and by the fur companies use of the beads as items of exchange for pelts of otters and other animals. The native Indian groups showed different preferences for specific coloured beads which then became part of their own wealth base and exchange system. The effects of such transactions, whether used deliberately as a form of subjugation or inadvertently as barter items, was to transform the economic systems of the native populations and specifically the way In which conspicuous consumption was carried out in potlatch ceremonies. The effect of both the introduction of new material items and the novel form of economic transactions bolstered other effects of the Europeans which transformed Native American cosmology and society permanently.

<p> According to Culturally Appropriate and Valid Psychological Assessments for Ethical Use with American Indians (CVE) as cited on the website of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, 26.6% of the state&rsquo;s Native American population who complete a diagnostic assessment take the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2nd edition (MMPI-2) in any given year. As such, a pertinent question is whether the MMPI-2 is an appropriate tool for assessing personality for this population. Nichols (2011) stated that the practicing clinicians who participated in the study failed to use research on cultural influences that may elevate the clinical and validity scale on the MMPI-2 with a specific ethnic population. In addition, Butcher and Williams (1999) stated that the MMPI-2 did not include an adequate normative representation of Native Americans. Furthermore, Butcher and Williams (1999) also stated that most studies about the MMPI-2 and Native Americans have shown numerous methodological flaws. Despite these flaws, proponents of the MMPI-2 continued to maintain that the use of the instrument is culturally valid, and it continues to be the most used personality assessment instrument with Native Americans (Butcher, 2009; Butcher &amp; Williams, 1999). The focus of this qualitative study was to provide a detailed view of six clinicians&rsquo; experiences in administering the MMPI-2 with Native Americans and their use of cultural information to interpret the profile. Using thematic analysis, the results yielded seven themes that were categorized in three distinct domains: A) trauma informs the responses to MMPI-2, B) awareness of clients&rsquo; cultural belief system by the clinicians, and C) clinicians&rsquo; awareness of their own cultural competence and sensitivity.</p>

<p> This somatic, depth psychological, intuitive inquiry explores the transformative and healing effects of the process of remembrance of blood ancestors in body, heart and mind as the Maya, the researcher&rsquo;s paternal ancestors, understand na&rsquo;b&rsquo;al, blood memory, and the way ancestors are brought into present, living relationship through remembrance of ancestral story, culture, and ceremony. This study, based on personal experience, addresses the current lack of depth psychological research and understanding of the healing process of historical trauma within modern indigenous people who have grown up disconnected from the culture of their heritage. Methods used include data collection through journal entries, data analysis through the summary of somatic, relational, visionary, natural and synchronistic changes, and both intuitive and standard thematic analysis. Findings include changes consistent with a shamanic healing journey resulting in an expanded sense of consciousness, spirit and ancestor communication, and an overall increased sense of purpose, wholeness, and wellness. The study compares and contrasts indigenous with depth psychological understandings of ancestors, spirits, space and time, ceremony, balance, and healing. While many commonalities are found, the study suggests that depth psychological language and theory fall short in their ability to fully explain indigenous spiritual experiences. The study also illuminates the potential dangers of assuming that all cultures are the universal heritage of humanity. Keywords: Maya, Ancestors, Historical Trauma, Native American, Popol Vuh, Depth Psychology, Hero Twins, Lady Blood, Rilaj Mam</p><p>

abstract: The growing population of American Indian students who attend off-reservation school has been under researched. This absence in American Indian education research, their unique needs, and their growing numbers warrant more attention. To address this absence in education research literature, this study captures the experiences of American Indian students in an off-reservation high school. Through Social Reproduction Theory and Cultural Capital Theory this qualitative study makes known the varying ways that American Indian students in off-reservation high schools comply and resist formal schooling. Through interviews and observations of these students, in addition their teachers and administrators, I document and interpret their experiences. The data suggest that American Indian students strongly connect to and use their tribal identities to negotiate school. By recognizing the rules of the school, these students employ different forms of cultural and social capital, specifically the importance of space and forms of communication. Even though their high school has a high population of American Indian students, they continue to experience challenges in academic success through stereotypical assumptions, expected roles, and structural barriers. Illustrating student identity as effects of the social reproduction process clearly demonstrates resistance, compliance, and agency of these students in their high school. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2014

Bill C-31, an Act to Amend the Indian Act, was passed by the Canadian Parliament on June 28, 1985. It was intended to bring the Indian Act into line with the provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in part by allowing the reinstatement of Indian Status to women who had lost it after marrying non-Aboriginal or non-Status men. It followed from the efforts of Native women Jeannette Lavell and Sandra Lovelace in court appeals over sexual discrimination in the Indian Act. Yet there were many negative reactions to the bill. Bill C-31 introduced rules governing who could be registered as "Indian." It also contained new rules with respect to children born on or after April 17, 1985. This paper argues that these rules discriminate against children with one parent who is not recognized as "Indian" under the new rules. The primary purpose of the bill was to allow Aboriginal people to create their own criteria for managing the membership of bands. However, it caused a number of conflicts and failed to produce the results Aboriginal community hoped for. There were concerns about the increase in the Aboriginal population as people returned to reserves and inadequate funding to meet the needs arising from such population growth. Many Native persons viewed the bill as a mechanism for assimilation and argued that they should have sole responsibility over the regulation of their own memberships. Recent research on Bill C-31 is limited, in that many authors ignore the personal experiences of those who helped create and were affected by the legislation. For the most part, the literature tends to stress the growth of the Native population following the bill's implementation. A more thorough analysis would yield a greater understanding of the bill's impact on First Nations rights and self-determination. This thesis will incorporate an array of primary sources, including summary reports, scholarly studies, statistics, interviews and personal commentaries. An analysis of secondary sources will also reveal the current state of research on the topic, and show how this thesis provides a new perspective by considering matrimonial real property, blood quantum, court cases and legal Status.

La présente recherche a pour objectif de retracer l'évolution de la représentation autochtone dans le cinéma documentaire québécois depuis ses débuts, en utilisant pour ce faire l'analyse thématique de contenu. De façon plus spécifique, en comparant deux périodes de l'histoire, (1900-1960 et 1960-2007) ce travail a tenté d'établir que les techniques cinématographiques introduites par le cinéma direct au début des années 60, ont contribué à modifier l'image traditionnelle de l'autochtone telle que véhiculée par le documentaire classique. De plus, nous avons examiné le rôle que jouent les pratiques orales du cinéma (boniment, narration, oralité associée aux techniques du direct) dans cette représentation. Enfin, l'analyse filmique de quatre documents audio-visuels (films) a servi d'outil principal pour démontrer l'influence du cinéma direct sur le traitement du sujet, tant au niveau des techniques utilisées que du courant de pensée associé au cinéma documentaire de cette époque.

<p> Migration choice among Alaskan Inuit in the Arctic Alaskan region is complex and multifaceted. Migration patterns are characterized by high rates of out-migration and return migration however, the factors contributing to migration choice are more nuanced. To better understand the driving factors influencing migration a mixed methodological approach is used by incorporating statistical data analyses and informal interviews collected for Nome Census Area and North Slope Borough. Determining the socio-cultural, economic, and environmental factors influencing migration choice of Alaskan Inuit in Arctic Alaska provides insight into community resiliency and adaptability to regional experiences of social and climatic change. The results demonstrate external investments, employment opportunities, climate change, Inuit cultural practices, and family are important to Alaskan Inuit lifestyle. Results of regression analysis indicate that climate, subsistence, and modern wage economy have the most significant effect on in and out migration in Nome Census Area while in North Slope Borough cultural economy and wage economy balance, family, and external funds have the most significant impact on migration. The factor loadings impacting migration between 1991-2011 explain only 41% in Nome Census Area and 21% in the North Slope Borough. Low explanatory power of the quantitative variables underscores the importance of the non-quantitative indicators, such as importance of family and culture on return migration. Personal interviews further support that the resilience of Arctic Alaskan communities relies on the health of local economy to provide jobs, health care, and education but also on the ability to participate in cultural and familial activities which perpetuates adaptability among Alaskan Inuit.</p><p>