Native American Studies
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/51
The Department of Native American Studies was established to provide and advance quality education for and about American Indians of Montana, the region, and the nation. In fulfilling this mission, the Department is committed to meet the changing needs of Montana's Indian tribes and all Montana citizens through excellence in teaching, research, and service. In its academic program, the department provides concentrated study through an undergraduate minor, the first online graduate certificate in Native American Studies offered, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies. Students in any major can also gain a multicultural perspective through NAS offerings in the University's core curriculum. The Department, through its research and other creative efforts, actively pursues interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of Native American Studies.
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Item An Apsaalooke view for educational leadership(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2019) Cummins, Jason Dean; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffThere have been many calls for Native American communities to be given more self-determination in the education of their children. Yet despite these calls for allowing Native American parents to be included in the education of their children this is not happening (Bird, Lee and Lopez, 2013). In this study the researcher utilizes an Indigenous research methodology adhering the cultural protocols of the Apsaalooke nation and building upon the 4 R's, which are respect, relevance, reciprocity and responsibility (Kirkness & Barnhardt, 1991). This research allowed Apsaalooke tribal members, identified through the protocols of the Ashammaliaxxiia to voice their perspective and expectations for school leaders who serve students in their communities. There were formal interviews, informal visits and personal communications. The research questions that guided this study are: 1. What kind of behavior and actions do Apsaalooke tribal members expect from school leaders such as principals and superintendents serving their students? 2. How can school leaders work well with parents and leaders in the Apsaalooke community? 3. What do Apsaalooke tribal members want school leaders to know and be aware of in the education of the children of the tribe? From the research four salient themes emerged which are: 1. A leaders first job is to learn; 2. Lead through relationships; 3. Crows take education seriously; 4. The preservation of Apsaalooke identity and culture. Seventeen tribal members participated in the study. From the study the researcher found that leaders need to respect the community and build authentic relationships within it by being present and connected to the community. Lead the school with those relationships within the informal leadership model in the community in a more flattened model based on the respect of and the character possessed by influential leaders, rather than a hierarchical one, as well as defend those relationships. Understand the Apsaalooke want their student to achieve academically and help parents to support their students in this and hire and retain quality teachers. Support the preservation and perpetuation of the Apsaalooke way of life.Item Belief ways of the Apsaalooke: development of a culture through time and space(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Bull Chief, Emerson Lee; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Matthew HermanThe purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the oral history of the Apsaalooke for connections to the four Native science foundations. I interviewed the Crow Cultural Cabinet Head to attain the stories for each religion. I then compared the content of each story to the four foundations and found the connections that corresponded. The Clan System connected to the community foundation. The Sweat Lodge connected to the environment foundation. The Sacred Pipe ceremony connected to the language foundation and the Sacred Tobacco Society connected to the spirituality foundation. Although these connections were developed, there are many more that can be made interchangeably. The four foundations of Native science and the four belief ways of the Apsaalooke complemented each other.Item Middle school science classroom practices in Crow and Northern Cheyenne schools(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2004) Woolbaugh, Walter Harold; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert Carson.This study first identifies the teaching and learning practices that have shown to be effective in producing achievement gains with K-12 Native American students. In order to identify effective practices, policy guidelines and research studies focusing on achievement gains among Native American students were reviewed. This information was then mapped to the National Science Education Standards and aligned with a widely used mathematics and science observation instrument. The instrument was used by the author to gather data from 13 teachers by observing 68 lessons in 11 middle schools on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations in Southeast Montana. Interviewing and surveying the observed teachers generated further data. To complete the study, administrators and community members, including tribal elders, were interviewed. The literature reveals that Native American students achieve more when student centered teaching methods are used. These methods include the use of visual teaching aids, cooperative learning, and practical applications all interwoven in culturally relevant lessons. The literature supports building community support, including involvement from tribal elders. Data gathered by the researcher revealed that the teachers on and near the two reservations have more teaching experience, more science credits, and attain higher ratings for observed lessons than a national sample of teachers. A factor analysis indicated that Crow and Northern Cheyenne region teachers scored especially high in student / teacher relationships, classroom management, and content knowledge. Even though 43 percent of class time was spent in hands-on paired activities, teachers scored lower on indicators pertaining to creating classroom environments that engaged students in rigorous, meaningful learning experiences. Teachers reported on not feeling prepared to include cultural applications and meanings during instruction. Teachers attaining lower scores during classroom observations tended to cite low student motivation as their major barrier, while teachers receiving higher ratings cited external factors like the size of their classroom. The teachers described colleagues and professional development opportunities as particularly beneficial. Recommendations for further studies include additional research on effective classroom practices that produce achievement gains with Native American students, and stronger professional development focused on specific advanced teaching skills, including methods of embedding culture and community in the science curriculum.Item A study of Crow reservation-oriented college students who attended baccalaureate degree offering colleges from 1965 to 1990(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2002) Enemy Hunter, LukeItem Teaching science through native Crow culture : a placed-based experience(Montana State University - Bozeman, Graduate School, 2013) Plain Bull, Dorcella; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Peggy Taylor.This project was conducted to determine the affects of a culturally responsible placed-based experience for Native American elementary students. The students were exposed to two place-based experiences with the central theme of the traditional Crow uses of buffalo. The place-based experiences included a Tribal Elder guest speaker and a field trip to a battlefield museum and buffalo jump. The results indicated that both student and parents gained a greater appreciation for native Crow culture as a result of the place-based experiences.Item Crow language teachers' views of the incorporation of the written form of Crow in language classes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2005) Watts, John Graham; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert Carson.This study, conducted on the Crow Indian reservation in Southwest Montana, examined the incorporation of written Crow in teaching Crow language through a series of semi-structured interviews with Crow language teachers and others in the Crow language maintenance movement. The grounded theory qualitative approach yielded recommendations regarding the need for teacher training, for material development, for curriculum planning, and for expanded visibility of written language in the community. The study presents evidence to support an eclectic approach to Crow language teaching.Item Decolonizing collaborative inquiry at the Absaroka Agency : a phenomenological examination of the 2011 collaborative archaeological events occurring at the site of the 2nd Crow Agency(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2012) Doyle, Shane Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Michael Brody.This transcendental phenomenological study examines three collaborative archaeological events that occurred at the site of the former "Absaroka" (Crow) Agency (1975 - 1884), during the 2011 summer excavation. The June 4th 3 Tipi Day, the July 8th Absaroka Agency Volunteer Day, and the August 2nd Crow Elders Day, are each examined primarily through interviews conducted with key collaborators and participants, with an emphasis on uncovering the decolonizing qualities of the events. Interviews consisted of three basic questions: 1) How did the events at the Absaroka Agency reflect and exemplify collaborative archaeological inquiry and decolonizing research methodologies? 2) What did you experience at the Absaroka Agency? 3) What did the experience mean to you? Analysis of interview data included the highlighting of significant statements and the contextualizing of those statements within a table that highlighted the three essential characteristics of decolonizing collaborative research methodologies. The conclusions and final discussion are interpreted from the researcher's perspective as an embedded participant-observer and member of the Crow Tribe. The emerging and swiftly growing field of Collaborative Indigenous Archaeology is still in the early stages of intellectual and practical development, and more scholarship is needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the central issues still being resolved within the field. One essential and multi-faceted problem lies at the heart of this developing field; what does the decolonization of collaborative archaeology look, smell, sound, taste, and feel like? This study explores how the collaborative events at the Absaroka Agency answered that complex question, and it also addresses two prominent research gaps in the field; a scarcity of research and publication by indigenous researchers and a lack of literature about collaborative archaeology with northern plains tribes, such as the Crow Tribe. This study provides relevant information about collaborative inquiry and decolonizing research methodologies to an extensive group of participating partners, including federal, state, and tribal organizations. The findings also provide an informative guide for future scholars who seek to engage in similar collaborative research methodologies.Item Surveying the community of Crow Agency, MT for interest in a community radio station(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2005) Doyle, Shane Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Wayne Stein90% of the Crow Tribe's 10,000 members live on or near its 2.5 million acre reservation. There are currently no television or radio stations intended to serve this area and its population with the vital connections and resources available through the information highway maintained by mass media. This study explores the level of interest and support the Crow community has for a Native American radio station. It also identifies areas of need within the community that can be met by the establishment of a Crow radio station and by the implementation of Native American programming. Research found that there was a high level of support for and interest in this venture and that a radio station could met a number of community needs including economic improvement, language revitalization, facilitation of community and cultural cohesion, and disaster preparedness.