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The Next Generation Science Standards framework focuses on “equity and diversity in science and engineering education,” with a goal that states “equity should be at the forefront of any effort to improve the goals, structures, and practices that support learning and educational attainment of all students.” Thus, curriculum and instructional strategies that are personally meaningful engage students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Instructional activities that draw on historical references, descriptions, examples, and analogies are particularly engaging to students typically marginalized from STEM disciplines. The Fish Weir Engineering Challenge provides an example of how cultural and historical STEM practices can form the foundation for science and engineering lessons for Native American students. In this activity, students design, build, and test model fish weirs, a type of fish trap, while exploring how tribal communities have used engineering to adapt fish weirs to accommodate a changing environmental and community.