oral histories

The Gitanyow Ayookxw: The Constitution of the Gitanyow Nation

Year

WE are the Gitanyow peoples. We have a long-standing and rich oral tradition which speaks to all aspects of our lives. This written Constitution must be interpreted and understood in the context of our oral history and oral traditions...

THEREFORE, by virtue of our inherent right to govern ourselves and in order to more transparently record our customs, institutions and obligations to each other and to those who come to live as part of our community and in order to guide our relationships with other governments, we, the Gitanyow Nation adopt this written Constitution.

Native Nations
Citation

Gitanyow Nation. The Gitanyow Ayookxw: The Constitution of the Gitanyow Nation. Gitanyow Nation. Kitwanga, British Columbia. Canada. 2009. (http://www.gitanyowchiefs.com/media/constitution, accessed May 6, 2014)

Betting on a School

Year

Ninety miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the San Bernardino Mountains, a school for Native American children peers down onto its main benefactor, a glittering, Las Vegas-style casino and hotel owned and operated by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians.

Millions of dollars spent in the casino by gamblers playing the slots, shooting craps, and wagering on poker hands are flowing into the Morongo School and fueling what could be the tribe's most important enterprise yet: taking control over the education of its own children.

The Morongo School, which opened in 2010 on this 35,000-acre reservation tucked into a narrow pass between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains, is the Morongo tribe's biggest bet at the moment. After nearly 20 years of stunning economic development and the virtual elimination of poverty for its 1,000 members, the tribe is investing millions of dollars in education in the hope of reversing decades of low academic achievement, high dropout rates, and low rates of college attendance and graduation for its children...

Resource Type
Citation

Maxwell, Lesli A. "Betting on a School." Education Week. Vol. 33, Issue 12: 1, 14-20. December 4, 2013. Article. (http://www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2013/native-american-education/running..., accessed March 8, 2023)

Navajo Cultural Identity: What can the Navajo Nation bring to the American Indian Identity Discussion Table?

Author
Year

American Indian identity in the twenty-first century has become an engaging topic. Recently, discussions on Ward Churchill’s racial background became a “hotbed” issue on the national scene. A few Native nations, such as the Pechanga and Isleta Pueblo, have disenrolled members. Scholars such as Circe Sturm, in Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and Eva Marie Garroutte, in Real Indians: Identity and Survival of Native America, have examined American Indian identity. More attention is being devoted to understanding the implications of racial identity in Native nations. What have we learned from these studies? We have learned that an imposed enrollment system has impacted Native nations...

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Lee, Lloyd L. "Navajo Cultural Identity: What can the Navajo Nation bring to the American Indian Identity Discussion Table?" Wicazo Sa Review. Fall 2006. Paper. (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/206347, accessed November 8, 2013) 

Asatiwisipe Aki Management Plan

Year

The Asatiwisipe Aki Management Plan arises from several earlier initiatives by Poplar River First Nation. Poplar River has completed a variety of studies for the planning area, including traditional knowledge and community history interviews with Elders, traditional land use studies, archaeological investigations, moose habitat sustainability mapping, an indigenous plants study, and a wild foods contaminants study. As well, case studies have recently been completed for several parks and protected areas initiatives involving First Nations elsewhere in Canada in order to identify lessons learned that can be applied in the preparation and implementation of our land management plan...

Native Nations
Citation

Poplar River First Nation. "Asatiwisipe Aki Management Plan." Poplar River, Manitoba. May 2011.