Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Appendices in English and Siouan. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 532-546). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Appendices in English and Siouan. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 532-546). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Capella University, 2007. / (UMI)AAI3278060. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: B, page: 5890. Adviser: Kit Johnson.

Thesis--Stockholm. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 170-181).

Akademisk avhandling--Religionshistoria--Stockholm, 1980. / Bibliogr. p. 170-181. Index.

Against a Divided Land is a tale of escape from the poverty of the Yuma Indian reservation, the flight of a young girl and her family into modern American in the 1970's. The stories in the collection emerge via the narrator: a forty-year-old woman exploring landscape and memory. Her recollections as a mother and international traveler, juxtaposed alongside her childhood on the reservation, reveal the unique concerns of Native Americans in the era of government relocation and displacement. The stories in this collection paint a picture of United States subculture rarely seen. The accounts link the narrator to the past in surprising ways as they push forth with a modern voice, imagining a brighter future: a future filled with both loss and beauty. From Africa to the Southwest, the characters in these essays seek relationships across typical boundaries.

abstract: Although racial minorities are heavily represented in student bodies throughout the United States, school administrators who work with minority children have been overwhelmingly White. Previous research by race scholars has demonstrated that systems of racial dominance in the larger society are often replicated in schools. However, the role of White school administrators in perpetuating or disrupting racism has not been documented. This study examined the racial attitudes and resulting professional practices of White school administrators who worked in a unique environment. These administrators lived and practiced their profession in towns that lay just outside the borders of the Navajo Nation, a large Indian reservation in the Four Corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Termed border towns, these communities were populated by a large majority of Native Americans, with a heavy representation of Hispanics. This placed White school administrators in the uncommon position of living and working in a place where they were a numeric minority, while simultaneously representing the majority culture in the United States. Twelve White border town administrators in four different communities agreed to participate in the interview study, conducted over a two-month period in 2010 and 2011. Using a semi-structured interview format, the researcher gathered data on participants' racial attitudes and analyzed responses to find common themes. Common responses among the interviewees indicated that there were clear racial hierarchies within border town schools and that these hierarchies were sometimes atypical of those found in mainstream American society. These racial hierarchies were characterized by a dichotomy of Native American students based on residence in town or on the reservation, as well as deferential treatment of White administrators by Native American constituents. The intersectionality of race and socioeconomic class was a key finding of the study, with implications for school administrators' professional actions. Racial attitudes also impacted White border town administrators' actions and sometimes reinforced institutionally racist practices. Finally, results of the study supported several established models of race relations and White identity formation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2011

abstract: This study examines the contemporary school placement decisions of Navajo parents in the reservation community of Piñon, Arizona. School placement decisions are defined as the school where the parent chooses to enroll his/her child for schooling. Twelve Navajo parents participated in this qualitative study, which explored their past educational experiences in order to garner insight into the current school placement choices they have made for their children. Navajo parents who live within the community of Piñon, AZ who currently have school-aged children living in their household were recruited to participate in this study. Participants took part in 60- to 90-minute interviews that included questions related to their prior educational experiences and current school placement choices for their children. Parents were given an opportunity to reflect about the school placement decisions they have made for their children. The variety of schools Navajo parents are able to choose from were illuminated. These findings have implications for education decision makers by providing insight into which schools parents are choosing and why. The study will assist Navajo Nation policy makers in future educational planning, and may have more general implications for American Indian/Alaskan Native education. This may assist Navajo Education policy makers in making future decisions regarding the newly developed Navajo Department of Education and its education planning. Participants will also benefit from the study by being able to understand how the past has impacted the school placement choices they have made. In doing so parents may be better able to articulate the impetus behind the choices they make for their children, thereby becoming better advocates for themselves and their children. The results of this study impacts scholarly literature as a new viewpoint in the area of school choice. Navajo parents represent a distinct group who make educational choices within a specific context. This study is unique as the impact of historical Indian education policies is considered. Future studies can further expand on the topic creating a unique area of research in the field of Indian education. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2011

<p> Although there has been a decline in teen pregnancy in White, African American, and Hispanic teens, American Indian teen pregnancies have stayed relatively stable. According to Indian Health Services (2014), young women under the age of 24 years old account for 80 percent of births in the American Indian population. With a high percent of young mothers in this population and the stigma associated with young parenting, it is important to explore American Indian young mothers&rsquo; satisfaction and efficacy associated with parenting. It is also important to see how American Indian communities can support young mothers. The present study examined how attachment to parents, grandmothers, and peers and intimate partner violence impacts American Indian young mothers parenting satisfaction and efficacy. There were 134 American Indian young mothers who participated in this study. Results of the simple linear regression analyses revealed significant positive relationships between attachment to a mother figure, attachment to a father figure, and attachment to friends. However, attachment to father figures seems to have more of an impact than other attachments. Intimate partner violence was shown to have a negative impact on parenting satisfaction and efficacy. In this study community support was not a significant moderator on parenting satisfaction and efficacy, but when examined alone had a negative impact on parenting satisfaction and efficacy. Further analyses suggested that young mothers with high levels of attachment to father figures (and perhaps mother and grandmother figures) perceived or received less community support. This study shows that having a positive attachment may help young mothers to feel more satisfied and efficacious as parents and also shows that intimate partner violence can have a negative impact on American Indian young mothers&rsquo; satisfaction and efficacy as parents. The results of this study can be used to inform programs about the impacts of attachment, community support, and intimate partner violence on American Indian young mothers&rsquo; parenting satisfaction and efficacy. </p><p>

<p> Frequent droughts are common and extreme precipitation is a normal weather pattern for the Navajo country and has been for almost 6000 years. The Navajo do not abandon the often that drought stricken areas demonstrating their ability adapt to extreme weather conditions. For almost 300 years, the Navajo, while in a state of constant warfare with many different surrounding peoples, continued to develop and grow as a tribe, while living off of livestock, farming and hunting. Currently open for public review and comment is a new proposed Navajo Rangeland Improvement Act of 2014. It is the people, the tribal citizen&rsquo;s needs that need administration.</p><p>