Scholarship & Research
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Item U.S. politics as a loss reminder: an adaptation of the historical loss scale(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Wood, Zachary John; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Neha John-HendersonHistorical loss, the degree to which American Indians (AIs) think about losses such as land, culture, and life, is a contributor to experiences of historical trauma and its negative impacts in AIs. The relationship between historical loss and political participation among AIs has not been examined. AIs have lower rates of political participation than other groups, and ample political participation among AIs is necessary to protect their sovereignty, values, and interests. Minority groups can become mobilized to political action through perceiving discrimination or injustices against them. Measures of historical loss contain items related to the discrimination and injustices that AIs have experienced. While the Historical Loss Scale (HLS) measures the frequency with which AIs think about historical loss, it is rather general and may not relate to U.S. politics or the U.S. government in all cases. Thus, an adaptation of the HLS is introduced called the U.S. Politics as a Loss Reminder Scale (USPLRS) that contextualizes historical losses within the context of U.S. politics. A primary goal of the study was to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the USPLRS. Further, it is possible that by directly contextualizing historical loss within U.S. politics, there will be a positive relationship between the extent to which AIs report U.S. politics act as a reminder of historical losses, and their levels of political engagement. It is also possible that a frequency of general thoughts about historical loss measured by the HLS will also be associated with political engagement. To test these hypotheses, a sample of AI adults (n=877) completed a series of questionnaires including the HLS, USPLRS, and measures of political engagement during the November 2020 national election cycle. Results revealed a 3-factor structure of the USPLRS related to losses due to government mistreatment, death, and loss of respect. Scores on both the HLS and USPLRS were positively associated with political participation, with the USPLRS exhibiting unique predictability beyond the HLS.Item Relationship between social support and substance use among American Indian people with substance use disorder(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Neavill, Morgan Eva; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Monica SkewesAmerican Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) have endured trauma over generations and still experience systemic racism and oppression today. Historical trauma has contributed to health problems among AI/ANs, including high rates of substance use disorder. Social support is a protective factor for substance use in other populations; however, little is known about the role of social support and substance use in AI/AN communities. The current study employed secondary data analysis to understand the relationship between social support and substance use among AI/AN adults with substance use disorder. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research framework, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in partnership with an AI reservation community in Montana to examine risk and protective factors for substance use. Participants were 198 tribal members who self-identified as having a substance use problem. Social network characteristics were assessed using a modified version of the Important People Drug and Alcohol (IPDA) interview and substance use was assessed using the Timeline Followback. Consistent with previous research, the current study found that network substance use behavior was a better predictor of participant substance use outcomes than general support, substance specific support, or support for recovery/treatment. Variables associated with greater drug and alcohol abstinence among participants included living in larger household, having a greater percentage of the household that is sober, not having attended boarding school, having a larger percentage of the social network that does not accept one's substance use, having a smaller percentage of the social network rated as moderate or heavy substance users, and having a smaller percentage of the social network that uses substances frequently. An additional analysis was conducted to test whether the association between social support and participant substance use was moderated by the substance use behavior of the network, but the interaction was not significant. Contrary to prior research, the size, general supportiveness, and importance of the social network were not significantly associated with participant substance use. Results suggest that the IPDA may benefit from modifications to improve its usefulness in addiction research with AI/ANs. Implications for tribal members with substance use problems, their loved ones, and community leaders are discussed.Item Childhood trauma exposure, age and self-compassion as predictors of later-life symptoms of depression and anxiety in an American Indian sample(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Larsen, Jade Michael; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Neha John-HendersonPast research has established a relationship between childhood trauma and later-life anxiety and depression symptoms in American Indian samples. However, less is known about protective factors that may reduce the strength of this relationship. The purpose of the present study was to assess self-compassion as a protective factor with an emphasis on age as additional potential moderator. Seven hundred and twenty-nine self-identifying American Indian participants completed self-report measures pertaining to this question online via Qualtrics. The hypotheses were such that self-compassion would be protective against later-life anxiety and depression symptoms at all age points (Hypothesis 1), that the interaction between self-compassion and childhood trauma exposure would be statistically significant for those higher in trauma but not lower (Hypothesis 2) and that there would be a three-way interaction among self-compassion, age and childhood trauma exposure, such that age would moderate the interaction between childhood trauma exposure and self-compassion in predicting symptoms of anxiety and depression (Hypothesis 3). Regression analyses found support for Hypothesis 1, indicating that self-compassion is protective against anxiety and depression symptoms in this sample. Support for Hypothesis 2 was not found, as the interaction between self-compassion and childhood trauma exposure did not significantly predict anxiety or depression symptoms. Hypothesis 3 was supported in that the three-way interaction significantly predicted both later-life anxiety and depression symptoms, such that older participants who reported high levels of self-compassion tended to have the lowest symptoms. These findings indicate that self-compassion may have age dependent effects in moderating the relationship between childhood trauma exposure and later-life symptoms of anxiety and depression in American Indian samples.Item Real Indians making real art: how indigenous artists struggle for creative sovereignty and identity in the contemporary art world and market(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Aspensen, Ceilon Hall; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Walter FlemingThe problem presented is that Indigenous artists have been excluded from mainstream art venues and limited to exhibition in museums that only include collections of Indigenous art primarily limited to the pre-1890s era. Not having Native American artists' work regularly on display in contemporary art museums makes a powerful statement about the validity of contemporary Indigeneous art. This also limits the ability of Indigenous artists to exercise sovereignty over their own work and careers, by limiting their access to mainstream exhibition venues. Many modern Indigenous artists have found their work not taken seriously because of their ethnic identity and the expectations of the field of reception concerning the style of Native American art. Some contemporary Indigenous artists struggle to make a living creating the kind of art they choose to make, despite the general popularity of their work, because of these expectations. Limitations on marketability come from the modern art market itself and collectors who think of Indigenous art from an erroneous definition of 'traditional,' or from local tribal pressures to create only art that preserves the traditional culture of the tribe. The methods employed in this study were two-fold: an investigation of museum practices and available literature on contemporary Indigenous art, and interviews with eleven indigenous artists which served as case studies, employing a central tenet of CRT (Critical Race Theory) by which BIPOC (Black and Indigenous People of Color) people are able to tell their own stories. The results of this investigation are the identification, and legitimization of contemporary indigenous art by Indigenous artists residing in the northern plains, through legal definitions, cultural and ethnic identities, individual artistic identities, and traditional and contemporary art production practices. It also explores how genealogies of concepts as they relate to indigneous art, as well as cultural reception, contribute to diffusing theories of art history where indigenous art is concerned. The author demonstrates and concludes through the findings of this study that the work of modern Indigenous artists qualifies as contemporary art by any definition, and that style is irrelevant when making that determination.Item Designing, teaching, and assessing an innovative online science curriculum for effective student learning(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Sussberg, David Alexander; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisMany educational institutions have transitioned to online learning, opening opportunities and demand for creative, innovative, effective, and engaging online environmental science curricula. Therefore, I designed and taught an online Brightspace (D2L) science course. Student and staff study population were affiliated with Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana. A mixed methods research design assessed the curriculum's effectiveness for student learning; results indicated that students were positively impacted, gaining a greater understanding of scientific theory and praxis. This study significantly empowered me as an educator and can serve as a resource to construct online science curricula.Item Examining the cultural congruity and intentions of persistence among American Indian college students in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2021) Ortega, Eleazar; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carrie B. MyersAmerican Indian college students tend to have lower persistence and graduation rates compared to students of other ethnicities. This quantitative research study involved multiple regression to analyze survey data that measured cultural congruity and intentions of persistence of American Indian students attending a two-year and four-year college in Montana. Cultural identity was measured through a survey item measuring level of attachment to their ethnic group. Results showed a significant relationship existed between the following variables: attachment to ethnic group and cultural congruity; institutional type, attachment to ethnic group, age, gender, and first generation college student status to cultural congruity; cultural congruity and persistence; attachment to ethnic group and persistence; institutional type, cultural congruity, and attachment to ethnic group to persistence; and institutional type, cultural congruity, attachment to ethnic group, age, gender, and first generation college student status to persistence. Results from this study indicate that institutional type was not a significant predictor of cultural congruity or persistence. Also, students who were more strongly attached to their ethnic group were less likely to feel that they 'fit in' at their college (cultural incongruity). Older students were more likely to have higher cultural congruity than younger students, and higher levels of cultural congruity was associated with higher persistence scores.Item American fantasies and imagined histories: ethnic play and settler colonialism in twentieth-century Wyoming(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Powers, Andrea Shawn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Susan KollinAmerican Fantasies and Imagined Histories examines three case studies unified through ethnic play, the interrelated structures of settler colonialism and white supremacy, geographical location, and time period. This project employs an interdisplinary approach that combines original archival historical research, and literary and cultural analysis while drawing on Indigenous and Black frameworks. In twentieth-century Wyoming, redface and blackface filled Native and Black cultural absences maintaining the structures of settler colonialism and white supremacy. At the same time, this dissertation examines settler colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy in relation to the experiences of Black and Native peoples. This study shows how ethnic play both maintains and disrupts the race and gender hierarchies created by the interrelated structures of settler colonialism and white supremacy.Item Developing a family based program to reduce the incidence of obesity in American Indian children(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2021) Crowley, Jacy Kate; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Angela JukkalaChildhood obesity is a significant health problem resulting in decreased lifespan related to chronic health problems. Prevalence of childhood obesity is experienced in American Indian (AI) children at greater rates than their non-native peers. Social determinants of health significantly impact AIs; socioeconomic status, geographic location of reservations, and family and community dynamics uniquely impact health outcomes and risk factors of AI families and communities. This scholarly project investigates the disparity of childhood obesity within the AI community and the potential of a culturally relevant and acceptable family-based program to reduce the prevalence. A community advisory board (CAB) and components of successful AI-specific programs will guide the development of a culturally relevant family-based program. This project aims to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity in AI children by supporting nutritional knowledge and sovereignty, family engagement, and positive behavior support and coping mechanisms. A culturally relevant family-based program has the potential to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity in AI children and improve health equity.Item Cultural adaptation and preliminary validation of a measure of grief for American Indian and Alaska Native populations(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Gameon, Julie Ann; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Monica SkewesGrief research among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people has been limited to studies focused on unresolved grief associated with historical trauma or epidemiological studies focused on reporting mortality rates among AI/AN people. Grief measures developed and tested in non-Native populations have not been validated for use with AI/ANs and may not reflect a culturally appropriate Native perspective on grief. Additionally, research on adaptive grieving, or how people grow while healing from grief, has not been studied in this population. The current study aimed to: 1) work with AI/AN community members to culturally adapt the Inventory of Complicated Grief and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and 2) test the psychometric properties of the resulting culturally adapted Indigenous Grief Inventory. In Study One, interviews were conducted with AI reservation-based community members (N = 12) to gain insight into Native perspectives on grief. Findings suggested unique cultural considerations related to grieving and healing following the loss of a loved one in Native communities. Some items were revised and new items were developed based on participant feedback, and a pool of 60 items was generated for further testing. In Study Two, a sample of AI/AN community members (n =10) and academics (n = 7) was recruited to provide feedback on the measure items adapted or developed in Study One. Based on participants' ratings and feedback, items with low cultural appropriateness and comprehension scores were removed, and other items were revised, leaving 45 items remaining for psychometric testing. In Study Three, a web-based survey including the culturally adapted Indigenous Grief Inventory and mental and behavioral health measures was administered to 600 AI/AN people who reported experiencing a significant loss in their lifetime. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using separate randomly selected samples from the survey data (ns = 300) were conducted to identify the factor structure of the culturally adapted measure. Items were trimmed following these analyses, resulting in a two-factor Indigenous Grief Inventory. Additional analyses were conducted to examine the convergent and discriminant validity and measurement invariance of the revised measure. Findings suggest that the final 26-item Indigenous Grief Inventory developed in this dissertation is valid, reliable, and suitable for use in health research with AI/AN people.Item Hybrid objects(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2021) Figueroa, Casey Curran; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Jim Zimpel and Walter Fleming (co-chair)What follows is an exploration of praxis in Studio Art informed by research and application of methodologies and paradigms found within Indigenous culture. By examining the roles of Relationality, Sovereignty, and Positionality found in Native American Studies, and applied in conjunction with the methods found in Contemporary Art, insight can be gained into how art and culture responds to contemporary circumstances and future changes, as well as how this can provide value to the fields of Native American Studies and contemporary art.