Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item The social consequences of blood quantum in Native American communities(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Young, Lyndsey Alexis; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Matthew HermanIn the United States, many federally recognized tribes use a minimum blood quantum to determine membership. The concept of blood quantum was introduced to Native American tribes by several U.S. federal Indian policies. In recent years, several studies have detailed the impact of blood quantum policies on tribes and offer alternative membership criteria. No studies have analyzed the impact of blood quantum on individual Native Americans. Social decisions like dating, marriage, and family creation are all influenced by minimum blood quantum membership criteria. In this study, survey and interview data from enrolled and non-enrolled descendant Native Americans were used to assess the level of influence blood quantum has on these social decisions. The results of the surveys were statistically analyzed based on gender identity and enrollment status using an independent sample t-test. The study observed no significant difference in how male and female participants felt about the enrollment status of their partners and children. A significant difference in how enrolled and non-enrolled descendant participants felt about their partner being enrolled in the same tribe as themselves was found. The interviews revealed five themes that participants thought were important when considering blood quantum in social decisions. Those themes were: cultural knowledge/inheritance, benefits of enrollment, family involvement in dating, cultural compatibility, and cultural identity. For many tribes, traditional kinship systems and marriage practices require tribal members to marry outside of their kinship groups, sometimes resulting in inter-tribal marriages. One of the biggest issues posed by minimum blood quantum membership criteria is that individuals must look within their own tribe or reservation for a partner to ensure their children will be enrolled. Native American individuals are faced with the decision of either dating within the confines of blood quantum and potentially breaking traditional kinship practices or dating outside the confines of blood quantum and potentially having children who do not meet blood quantum enrollment requirements.Item Twenty-five strong: the current state and potential future of Ararahih (the Karuk language)(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Barney, Tanner Scot; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Matthew HermanResearch on various language apps, app building, language learning, Indigenous methodologies, and American Indian law and policy has made for a sound argument to kickstart the support of a Karuk dictionary app, eventual language learning app, and Karuk data sovereignty. The purpose of this work is to take in the broad academic discussion to think critically about it and build upon it in order to determine an Indigenous methodology for language apps and raise up Karuk community language regeneration efforts. In this paper, the themes addressed include Indigenous methodologies, the influence of language in life, legal implications for Native American Tribes in the United States wishing to practice data sovereignty, developing themes in Indigenous Methodologies for language apps, discussion on both Tribal and Western language apps, and app construction. To ensure wide reception, this work is written with the intention of being discussed by Karuk scholars and community members, and the broader academic and general audience of both Native and non-Native backgrounds.Item Yellowstone National Park and indigenous representation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Carlson-Strom, Daniel Zooey; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Matthew HermanYellowstone National Park, established in March 1872 as the United States' first national park, attracts millions of visitors each year due to its unusual and breathtaking landscapes, geothermal features, and bounty of wildlife. A critical aspect often overlooked by visitors is the park's history of forced removal and violence against Indigenous peoples during its formation. This thesis investigates the underrepresentation of Indigenous peoples and tribes who inhabited and utilized Yellowstone's lands before its designation as a national park. Through a comprehensive review of historical documents, and archival research, this study sheds light on the procedures and methods employed in the establishment of Yellowstone National Park, illuminating the systemic erasure of Indigenous histories from the park's public discourse. The results reveal a significant gap in the dissemination of information regarding the historic and current Indigenous presence within the park boundaries and the continued impacts of Indigenous displacement from the park. Conclusions drawn from this research underscore the necessity of acknowledging and centering Indigenous voices and perspectives in the interpretation and management of a national park.Item E-Acimocik: storying the lived experiences of indigenous faculty and staff at a predominantly white institution(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Russette, Kristie Lyn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kristin T. RuppelIn the Fall of 2021, Montana State University reported its largest number of American Indian/Alaska Native students. Despite this growing population of students, few professionals employed by this institution are adequately prepared to meet the holistic needs of Indigenous communities who are affiliated with the university. Consequently, a small group of Indigenous professionals are tasked with taking on this work. To address gaps in service to Indigenous communities, this research provides potential strategies for university professionals to consider as part of the strategic planning process. Employing an Indigenous approach to academic research, a group of 10 Indigenous professionals employed by Montana State University were interviewed about their personal experiences working for a predominantly White institution and the ways that their identities play a role in their professional work. The majority of interviewees noted additional responsibilities were expected of them due to their identities as Indigenous people. Based on their responses, this study identifies four key areas that significantly impact the workplace experiences of Indigenous professionals at Montana State University, including relationships with students, community support, knowledge of Indigenous kinship systems, and emotional and cultural labor.Item Roadkill and wildflowers: land-based approaches to settler naturalization(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Zimmerer, Jacob Thomas; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kristin T. RuppelSettler-colonialism is the process of severing relationships between people and the land. This ongoing process displaces well-established kinship networks between Indigenous communities and their other-than-human relatives, replacing them with systems of exploitation, settlers, and foreign ecologies. Decolonization, the philosophical counterpart to settler-colonialism, relies on the mending of relationships. This project explores the larger project of decolonization from a settler point-of-view and examines the complexities of navigating a colonial context not entirely of our own making. Settler cultures fail to adequately situate people within the ecosystems of the places they now live, and the ecological and social consequences of this failure have been catastrophic. This piece explores the philosophical underpinnings of settler cultures, provides settler-colonial context, and examines the intersections of colonialism, culture, land, food, and conservation. I propose settler-naturalization as a framework for revitalizing cultures that integrate human communities within ecological systems, and posit that the practices of hunting, scavenging, and foraging are potential pathways towards settler-naturalization. I conclude that there is a need for new stories that embody the concept of naturalization and guide settlers away from narratives of displacement.Item A timeline of how Native Americans/indigenous peoples have decolonized & indigenized: opera, jazz, & blues(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Andrade, Bryce Clinton; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter FlemingAt the beginning of the assimilation era, Indigenous Tribes in North America were suppressed into western civilization. Suppression of Native American culture was rampant and still is. The art of music has come back with a vengeance and has helped the progression of decolonization and indigenization within many cultures, especially indigenous ones across the United States and Canada. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how Native Americans and Indigenous people have been able to decolonize and indigenize music between 1879 and present day -- specifically in genres such as opera, jazz and blues. The specific start date of the year 1879 enables us to engage and learn about the effects of missionary schools, more commonly known as boarding schools, and the effects that these schools have had on the culture and music for these communities. The activism in this paper is gauged on a scale of minimalism and maximization. These two spectrums will be explored in every genre provided and will present a preview of how native artists define the term activism and how they use or do not use it. Within indigenous activism, the terms 'Indigenization' and 'Decolonization' are vital and need to be established because some musical forms such as jazz are already decolonized in a historical sense. These forms of music stemmed from Black communities rebelling against the Westernized system that enslaved them thus forcing Black Americans to assimilate as well and adapt to new settings, create new cultures and with that new music. Decolonization can take place in European or Western forms of music such as opera and classical music. The timeline and interviews with current indigenous musicians will help show changes over time (even though timelines are a colonial or Western aspect), what being indigenous looks like in music, and how decolonization and indigenization have evolved as theories.Item Not NDN enough: a study of the importance of indigenous identity with regards to Native American student retention in higher education(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Jeffers, Patrick Byron; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kristin T. RuppelNot NDN Enough': A Study of the Importance of Traditional Indigenous Identity with Regards to Native American Student Retention in Higher Education. The average college experience is generally more difficult for indigenous students, when compared to their non-indigenous counterparts; not only do students feel they are leaving their homes and communities behind, but their culture and other less tangible aspects of their self and identity as well. Often, these issues of distance from Home and culture lead to problems with academic retention. This becomes more complicated when indigenous cultural identity is introduced, since the concept of identity in this regard cannot be seen in a linear fashion, but on a continuum, taking into account the lived experience of different indigenous peoples of different cultural upbringings and tribal affiliations. Despite these issues, traditional cultural identity can be a boon for indigenous student retention. Research was conducted at a university with a significant native student population, asking indigenous students about their cultural identities, upbringing and experiences in the university system. Out of 15 students surveyed, all said that they believe that elements of their traditional culture impact their persistence in higher education. By looking back at out old ways and traditions we as a people can find strength to move forward in our futures with our traditions in hand.