An official website of the United States government
Abstract Native peoples (Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian) are underrepresented in academia; they represent 2% of the US population but 0.01% of enrolled undergraduate students. Native peoples share the experiences of colonization and forced assimilation, resulting in the loss of ancestral knowledge, language, and cultural identity. Recognizing history and the literature on social integration and mentorship, we followed 100 Native science and engineering scholars across a year of participation in the hybrid American Indian Science and Engineering Society mentorship program. The results showed that high-quality faculty mentorship predicted persistence a year later. Furthermore, mentors who shared knowledge of Native culture—through experience or shared heritage—uniquely contributed to the Native scholars’ social integration and persistence through scientific community values in particular. Therefore, Native scholars may benefit from mentorship supporting the integration of their Native culture and discipline rather than assimilation into the dominant disciplinary culture.
more »
« less
Omission as a modern form of bias against Native Peoples: Implications for policies and practices
\The omission of Native Peoples’ existence, experiences, and perspectives is systematic and widespread across numerous societal domains, referred to as Native omission. In mainstream media, for example, less than 0.5% of representations are of contemporary Native Peoples. We theorize that Native omission is a tool furthering settler colonial goals to oppress and eventually erase Native Peoples. To make this case, we will review both experimental and national survey studies that unpack how Native omission shapes psychological processes among non‐Native and Native individuals and contribute to discrimination, oppression, and disparities facing Native Peoples. We then discuss ways in which Native Peoples are actively resisting Native omission. Finally, we provide a series of policy recommendations to address Native omission and promote Native equity. By making visible the pernicious consequences of omission for Native Peoples, we chart a path for creating a more equitable future.
more »
« less
- PAR ID:
- 10511764
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Social Issues and Policy Review
- Volume:
- 18
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1751-2395
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 148 to 170
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
This paper presents methodological research approaches utilised with Indigenous communities in the Kuskokwim Region of southwestern Alaska. The project is situated in the communities of Kongiganak, Quinhagak, Bethel, Aniak, and McGrath, spanning the Kuskokwim Bay and Kuskokwim River, and with Alaska Native Peoples who have been Salmon Peoples and stewards of their ancestral homelands since time immemorial. We specifically expand upon methodologies that have made this project successful, highlighting Indigenous and qualitative methodological approaches and Tribal youth engagement in Indigenousled, Tribal and community-engaged research, given the importance of research process with and in Indigenous communities. Circle dialogues served as a core methodology for building initial relationships and partnerships between Tribes and the University, and as a mechanism to shape the research in a way that is aligned with Tribal priorities and respecting Tribal sovereignty. We uplift the voices of Tribal citizens who participated in these dialogues regarding their concerns and hopes for salmon and Salmon Peoples, while bringing youth along this research journey. Lastly, we emphasise the importance of spending time in community and building relationships, because it is these relationships that serve as a core foundation for carrying out research ‘in a good way’.more » « less
-
Indigenous understanding of sustainability is embedded in close relations to land and environment, Indigenous Knowledge systems, Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies, and Indigenous languages. However, the sustainability of Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods is significantly affected by various global change drivers. In the Arctic, Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods are impacted by environmental, social, and cultural changes, including climate change, environmental pollution, economic processes, and resource extraction. This paper aims to review and synthesize recent academic and gray literature on the sustainability of Indigenous communities in Sakha Republic, Northeast Siberia, Russia in the face of global change with a particular focus on land- and water-based traditional activities, native language, and the Indigenous Knowledge system.more » « less
-
Danto, D; Zangeneh, M (Ed.)“Generativity” represents an important stage of human development, when you share your knowledge and skills with younger people to pass on your legacy. Very little research has been conducted with Indigenous populations regarding their understanding of generativity and its role in well-being and mental health, but Indigenous Peoples refer to this as caring for the future or Seventh Generation. Indigenous Peoples engage in generative behaviors and act to preserve the history and culture of their community to ensure that youth can lead healthy lives, which is in direct contrast to Western understanding and reasons for being generative. Throughout our lives, we engage in healthy and unhealthy behaviors, which may or may not contribute to a healthy identity; this chapter discusses four cultural factors, or Indigenous cultural generative acts, used by Alaska Native Elders both to achieve sobriety and to fill the role of an Elder in their family and community. Also discussed is how these cultural factors can be used to guide the development of culture-specific mental health treatment approaches, and more broadly, prevention strategies for all ages. This intergenerational healing can result in pride and improved mental health for Indigenous Peoples of all ages.more » « less
-
This Indigenous-led project aims to better understand historical and contemporary ways in which Alaska Native Peoples steward salmon and the values connected to salmon stewardship. Indigenous Peoples have stewarded Alaska lands and waters for thousands of years yet have been largely excluded from western science and management systems. In this project, we utilize a participatory approach that allows for the equitable valuing of ideas and knowledges to document the breadth and depth of Yup'ik and Athabascan knowledge and governance systems in southwestern Alaska. We reshape research methodologies by centering Indigenous frameworks and methodologies, including circle dialogues and multi-generational interviews led by Indigenous scholars and students in their home communities and regions. In this paper, we share the Yup'ik and Athabascan values, knowledge, management, and governance mechanisms that can improve the long-term sustainability and equity of Alaska salmon systems. This research elevates the voices of Alaska Native salmon stewards and experts from the Kuskokwim Bay and the Kuskokwim River. We elaborate on five key themes that emerged from this research, including traditional Indigenous ways of life, Indigenous stewardship, self-determination, food and livelihood sovereignty, and ecosystem changes, and identify a more equitable and sustainable path forward for salmon and people in Alaska.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12105
