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Native American and African American material culture of mid-19thcentury to present day appear to hold evidence for a more ancient spiritual and cultural relationship between these two diverse peoples. There is evidence of strikingly similar, and in some instances, identical, pre-Columbian (before 1492) symbols from Africa and North America which allows us to examine questions of diffusion or independent invention. This thesis provides an examination of cultural practices and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of North America and Africa through symbols incorporated in the material culture of each, focusing primarily on textiles and it provides an exploration into the traditional knowledge systems that under-lie the adaptations and syncretism of these culture groups in creating objects and ascribing meaning to symbols. In order to understand the similarities, along with the continuity and retention of ancient belief systems, it is necessary to travel the path back, as far as possible. Anthropological debates such as diffusion vs. independent invention are encountered and examined. Through the many processes of colonization, the histories of Indigenous peoples have been sanitized or erased to accommodate European hegemony and perceptions of superior knowledge systems. In searching for that which has been misplaced or stolen through colonization, the necessity of supporting an Indigenous praxis of Theory and Method in the discipline of Anthropology is presented. By recognizing Indigenous knowledge systems, and from such a perspective, it would be disingenuous to believe that there was no intercontinental contact between the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and those of Africa prior to 1492.

This thesis examines the ongoing trends in depictions of Native American Indians in popular mainstream media from the last two decades. Stereotypes in general and in relation to Native American Indians are discussed, and a pattern of stereotype reactions to colonists’ perceived strains is identified. An analysis of popular television shows, movies, and books with contemporary Native characters will demonstrate new trends which we might consider transformed or emerging stereotypes of Native people in non-Native media. These trends will not only be shown to have emerged from more general national and regional stereotypes of Native identity, but will also demonstrate a continuation of the historical willingness of colonists to rely on more virulent Native stereotypes in cases where they perceive some Native threat. Particular attention will be paid to the denial of Indian identity in the southeast and northeast through comedy and mockery and, on the other hand, the exaggeration of Indian identity in the western United States through shape-shifting, paranormal encounters, mystery, and more conventional Native interests. At the end of the thesis, some possible methods for grappling with these problematic portrayals will be discussed.

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American Indian tribes face the phenomenon known across the world as the brain drain. They invest millions of dollars in educating their members, only to have little return on their investments. Many nation members leave reservations to get postsecondary education but never return, contributing to the brain drain. Those who get education off the reservation and choose to return are the exceptions to this rule. Although there is an abundance of literature regarding the brain drain across the world, there has been little research done with American Indians. In order to begin to understand the brain drain phenomenon this study analyzed unstructured qualitative interviews of 17 Navajo Nation members who left their reservation, obtained a degree and returned to work on the reservation. Themes resulting from the hermeneutic analysis of texts that describe the reason why these individuals returned were (a) Family Support, (b) Cultural Identity, (c) Simple Lifestyle, (d) Community and (e) Reservation Economy. The analysis found that constant, lengthy, and meaningful relationships were motivating factors in drawing participants back to contribute to their reservations. Those principles and teachings in the home of these returnees prompts further research in identifying the reasons they were drawn back to their American Indian communities.

Utilizing the College Student Experiences Questionnaire(CSEQ), a regression analysis was run to identify the ways in which 95 Native American college students attending an elite,religious, predominantly White institution (PWI)interact with faculty. These interactions were used to predict correlations with the educational outcomes of (1) aspirations for graduate school, (2) GPA and (3) overall gains from college. The findings were further disaggregated by first-generation and continuing-generation status. The findings suggest that none of the faculty-student interactions or demographic variables were significantly correlated with aspirations for graduate school. Gender, class standing and age were significantly correlated with GPA. A better relationship with faculty members positively correlated with five of the estimate of gains, suggesting that the better a students' relationships with faculty, the greater their overall gains from college. The current study found that first-generation students did not socialize with a faculty member outside of class as much as continuing-generation students. However, this study found that first-generation students reported better relationships with faculty than continuing generation-students and being more willing than continuing-generation students to work harder as a result of feedback from an instructor. The findings identify faculty-student interactions that can lead to success in higher education for Native American college students, as well as understanding how these interactions compare or differ for first-generation and continuing-generation Native American college students.

The academic difficulties experienced by a majority of Navajo American Indian students are well documented. Past research has focused on a variety of internal and external factors which possibly explain some of these difficulties. Low levels of academic self-efficacy (ASE) has been identified as one of the factors possibly contributing to lower than expected rates of academic achievement and low post-secondary education retention rates in this population. This investigation sought to further define the component structures of ASE using theoretical structures postulated by Bandura (1977a, 1997), namely: past success, modeling, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. Information about grade point averages (GPA) and standardized achievement tests (IOWA Tests of Educational Development) were obtained for a sample of American Indian Students (N = 118) as a measure of past success. Three self-report measures were administered to the participants in the sample: The Career-Related Parental Support Scale-Verbal Encouragement scale (CRPSS-VE); and two measures created specifically for this study, The People I Know (to assess levels of exposure to appropriate academic models) and My feelings about School (to assess levels of emotional arousal centered on school). An additional pair of self-report measures was administered to this sample, the Self-in-School (SIS) and Academic Hardiness Scale (AHS), which sought to assess overall levels of ASE in each of the participants. Reliability and factor analyses were conducted to psychometrically examine the measures created for this study. Both were found to be highly reliable measures which load primarily onto one factor. Regression analyses were created to determine if the measures of the four components would predict totals on the two measures of overall ASE (the SIS and AHS). Results indicated that GPA, IOWA percentile rank scores, the CRPSS-VE and My Feelings about School were significant predictors of SIS totals in the regression models. Only The People I Know and My Feelings about School were significant predictors of AHS totals in the regression analyses. There was some evidence suggesting that the four components of ASE predicted overall reported levels of ASE. Implications of this study as well as possible future studies are outlined.

Emmanuel Levinas's philosophy of ipseity and alterity has permeated Western thought for more than forty years. In the social sciences and the humanities, the recognition of the Other and focus on difference, alterity, has influenced the way we ethically approach peoples and arts from different cultures. Because focus on the ego, ipseity, limits our ethical obligations, focusing on the Other does, according to Levinas, bring us closer to an ethical life. Furthermore, the self maintains responsibility for the Other and must work within Levinas's ethical system to become truly responsible. Therefore, the interaction between self and Other is Levinas's principal concern as we move toward the New Humanism. The traditional Western autobiography has been centered in the self, the ego, which may prevent the ethical interaction on the part of the writer because the writer often portrays himself or herself as exemplary or unique rather than as an individual within a culture who is responsible for others. Nevertheless, life writing has expanded as writers strive to represent themselves and their cultures responsibly. One form that has emerged is the literary autoethnography, a memoir that considers ancestry, culture, history, and spiritual inheritance amidst personal reflection. In particular, Native American conceptions of the self within story have inspired conventions of literary autoethnography. This project explores the way Native American worldviews have influenced the autoethnography by looking at four Native American authors: Janet Campbell Hale, N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Carter Revard. Through research, family stories, interviews, and returns to ancestral spaces, autoethnographers can bring themselves and their readers closer to cultural consciousness. By investigating standards in autoethnographic works, this project will illustrate the ethical intentionality of autoethnography.

This study examined the relationships between childhood family of origin (FOO) adversities, coming to terms with them, and adult intimate relationship satisfaction for Native American individuals. The sample consisted of 186 Native American individuals in committed relationships who responded to the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of childhood FOO adversity, whether respondents had come to terms with FOO problems, relationship quality and depression. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that coming to terms buffered the negative effects of childhood family of origin adversities on depression and relationship quality. Results suggest that coming to terms may help Native American individuals deal with FOO adversity and improve intimate relationship quality. Coming to terms with childhood FOO adversity should be considered in the treatment of Native American individuals in intimate relationships. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Native American* postsecondary education students encounter several barriers to academic persistence including cultural assimilation issues, limited access to career information services, and an individual sense of duty and responsibility to remain tied to traditional spiritual values and beliefs systems, joined with family pressure to stay home. While the presence of Native American students in postsecondary education has increased, the number of students persisting through to graduation remains alarmingly low. Much of the research on Native American academic persistence has focused on acculturation and assimilation issues, leaving the influence of family largely unexplored. To help enrich this aspect of Native American academic persistence research, this study analyzed semi-structured qualitative interviews of 25 Native American postsecondary students. Themes resulting from the hermeneutic analysis of transcribed texts that describe the influence of family on persistence were (a) transportation challenges, (b) financial challenges, (c) experiences of familiarity while at college, (d) pressure to succeed academically, (e) pressure to navigate two worlds—school and family, and (f) academic endurance.