All Indian Pueblo Council, Albuquerque, NM. (1972). The Right to Remain Indian. The Failure of the Federal Government to Protect Indian Land and Water Rights. The document is submitted pursuant to a contract with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, in preparation for hearings held in New Mexico during November 1972. It covers the protection and preservation of the land and water rights of the American Indian tribes in the Southwest, which is as vital as any problem which now confronts the Pueblo tribes. The discussion: (1) considers the relationship which exists between the Indian tribes and the United States Government, using the Pueblo Tribes as an illustration; (2) traces the development of the legal basis for protection of the tribal rights to use water–the Winter's Doctrine; (3) chronicles legislative and administrative events affecting the Pueblo and neighboring tribes in both New Mexico and Arizona; and (4) interprets those events.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Civil Rights, Federal Programs

Cushman, Ellen (2011). The Cherokee Syllabary: A Writing System in Its Own Right, Written Communication. Informally recognized by the tribal council in 1821, the 86-character Cherokee writing system invented by Sequoyah was learned in manuscript form and became widely used by the Cherokee within the span of a few years. In 1827, Samuel Worcester standardized the arrangement of characters and print designs in ways that differed from Sequoyah's original arrangement of characters. Using Worcester's arrangement as their sole source of evidence, however, scholars and Cherokee language learners have misunderstood the syllabary by viewing it through an alphabetic lens. Drawing on 5 years of ethnohistorical research, this article opens with a brief history of Sequoyah's invention to show the ways Worcester's rearrangement bent the Cherokee writing system to the orthographic rules of the Latin alphabet, thus obscuring the instrumental logics of the original script. Next, a linguistic analysis of the Cherokee writing system is presented in an effort to recover its instrumental workings. Adding a new perspective to research on American literacy histories in general and scholarship on the Cherokee syllabary in particular, the author argues that the Cherokee language demands a writing system uniquely Cherokee, one practiced outside of an alphabetic influence and capable of representing underlying meaning and sound with each character.   [More]  Descriptors: Evidence, Written Language, Linguistics, Personality

Pilla, Thomas V. (1999). Alaskan Natives and Other Minorities in the Special Education Programs of Four Alaskan School Districts. This report provides information on the percentages of Native Alaskans and other minorities in the special education programs of four Alaskan school districts. It was prompted by a civil rights complaint by parents in the Juneau School District alleging that Native Alaskans were overrepresented in special education programs. The complaint was resolved in 1997 after the district undertook a number of remedial actions to ensure that Alaska Native students' cultural and linguistic background are considered throughout the special education referral, assessment, and placement process. The Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights requested information from four large school districts on the identification of students for placement in special education classes, number of students served, special education staff, and complaint procedures. The districts were Anchorage School District, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Juneau School District, and Nome Public School District, which together serve 57 percent of Alaska's K-12 students. Results were mixed, but special education programs in Anchorage and Fairbanks had overrepresentations of Alaska Natives and American Indians. As in the Juneau case, cultural and linguistic differences may account for some of this overrepresentation. The Committee recommends that other school districts review the efforts undertaken by the Juneau School District to address the issue. In addition, the Committee noted the lack of ethnic diversity in the special education staff of the districts studied and recommends the development of appropriate recruitment and hiring strategies.   [More]  Descriptors: Alaska Natives, American Indian Education, Disability Identification, Disproportionate Representation

Buesing, Gregory (1973). Maliseet and Micmac Rights and Treaties in the United States. Written for purposes of furthering aid to the Association of Aroostook Indian (AAI) in procuring Maliseet and Micmac American Indian rights, this essay provides historical documentation of U.S. treaties verifying Native American rights. This essay asserts that although about 4,000 Micmacs and Maliseets live in New England (1,000 in Maine), they have not been formally recognized by the Federal Government and had not been given state recognition until the AAI was formed in 1967 and began to further their cause; that since they generally live off-reservation but do have reservations in Canada, they are often considered both Canadian and alien and are not, consequently, afforded government services. Arguing that these people are free to cross borders and are entitled to certain rights under a series of treaties established between the Indians and the U.S. during and after the American Revolution, this essay presents the historical basis for the following rights: (1) the right to come to the U.S. from Canada and to acquire employment without having to register as an alien; (2) full hunting/fishing rights comparable to those of other Maine Indians; (3) the right to settle on either Passamaquoddy reservation with due reservation rights; (4) full services comparable to those of other off-reservation Indians; (5) full rights of citizenship, including the right to vote. Descriptors: American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Civil Rights, Equal Opportunities (Jobs)

Cultural Survival (2008). Observations on the State of Indigenous Human Rights in Light of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Guatemala. Since the 1996 Peace Accords ended the Guatemalan civil war, the country has made strides to legally recognize the rights of its indigenous peoples and has criminalized racial discrimination. However, political exclusion, discrimination, and economic marginalization of indigenous peoples still regularly occur due to the lack of resources and political will to stop them. Precarious land tenure, delays in land restitution, disproportionately extreme poverty, and geographical remoteness result in indigenous Guatemalans having less access to healthcare, clean water, and security, and lower living standards than the country's "Ladino" population. Most indigenous children do not have access to bilingual education. Many crimes against indigenous peoples are not investigated or go unpunished; by comparison, indigenous leaders are frequently attacked or prosecuted for defending their claims to their lands. The government needs to energetically address discrimination, and to take steps to secure land rights and economic equality for its indigenous peoples. It also needs to strengthen the rule of law and increase indigenous access to effective legal remedies, and to or extradite prosecute those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war.   [More]  Descriptors: Cultural Maintenance, Public Health, Violence, Water Quality

Dea, Sarah (2010). Protecting Mother Earth: Hartman Seeks to Instill His Passion in Science Students, Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education. Students at Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC) have spent their entire lives hearing about the environmental issues facing the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara). Located on the high plains of northwestern North Dakota, the area contains rich coal and oil resources, the development of which can damage air and water quality. Many tribal members hunt and fish and care deeply about wildlife. Development in some places has destroyed wildlife habitat as well as the native plants that tribal members use for medicine and ceremonies. Currently, oil development is exploding. Dozens of oil wells in the vicinity flare natural gas into the air, treating it as a waste product. In the most recent controversy, oil companies have proposed off-shore drilling in Lake Sakakawea, the giant reservoir that splits the Fort Berthold Reservation in two. The conflicts create opportunities for scientists, who must monitor water wells, write environmental impact statements, search for endangered species, restore native plants, and test the reservoir fish populations. For 27 years, Kerry Hartman, Ph.D., has devoted his life to preparing residents of the reservation for careers in science. In the early '90s, he spearheaded efforts that developed several two-year degrees at the college–Environmental Science, Science, and Math. Student interest and the escalating environmental problems made it obvious the time was right to offer a four-year degree in Environmental Science. This article describes how Hartman is spearheading the development of an innovative four-year Environmental Science degree at FBCC.   [More]  Descriptors: Program Development, Conservation (Environment), Student Interests, Tribes

Muskrat, Joseph; And Others (1972). Federal Policies and Programs for American Indians. Staff Report #2. The document presents Federal government policies and programs for American Indians, and the history of the Federal government-Indian relationship. Topics discussed are: (1) land management and industrial development; (2) employment programs; (3) education; (4) welfare programs; (5) other Federal programs (housing, transportation, and public safety); and (6) the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Tables relating to the topics discussed are at the end of the document.   [More]  Descriptors: Administrative Agencies, American History, American Indian Reservations, American Indians

Fagan, Kristina (2005). Tewatatha:wi. Aboriginal Nationalism in Taiaiake Alfred's Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto, American Indian Quarterly. In recent years the idea of Aboriginal nationalism has been creeping into public language in Canada through the widespread use of the term "First Nation." The idea that Aboriginal peoples are "Nations," not just "cultures," has also begun to influence the Canadian government, the courts, and the study of law and political science. The principle that Aboriginal peoples have the right and responsibility to determine their own paths is an ancient one, however.   [More]  Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Courts, Political Science, Nationalism

ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children, Reston, VA. (1981). Fact Sheets from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children, 1981. Fifteen fact sheets–two page overviews of issues in special education developed by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children in 1981–are presented. The fact sheets address topics in a question and answer format and provide references as well as resources on each subject. The following titles are included, "The Administrator's Role in the Education of Gifted and Talented Children"; "The Cost Effectiveness of Special Education"; "Advocacy and Self Advocacy for Disabled Persons"; "Learning Related Visual Problems"; "Serving the LD Student in a Vocational Education Classroom"; "Careers in Special Education"; "The Argument for Early Intervention"; "The Arts and the Handicapped Child"; "Rights of the Handicapped"; "Educational Rights of American Indian and Alaska Native Handicapped Children"; "Procedural Safeguards"; "Individualized Education Program"; "Children on Medication"; "Parents' Rights and Responsibilities"; and "Parents of Handicapped Children."   [More]  Descriptors: Administrator Role, Careers, Child Advocacy, Civil Rights

Mohapatra, Urmila (1996). Asian Indian Culture in America: A Bibliography of Research Documents. A Research Report. This bibliography has been prepared as a research tool for scholars who want to conduct studies about Asian Indian Americans. Only a few published works on Asian Indian Americans are available in book length; most are journal articles, monographs, research reports, dissertations and theses, newspaper articles, and unpublished manuscripts. Works cited are grouped into 35 chapters (following a preface and introduction) that cover the following topics: (1) overviews of the Asian Indian population; (2) theoretical perspectives; (3) history of immigration, immigration patterns, and population profiles; (4) literary writings (poetry, fiction, short stories, juvenile literature, and essays) by Asian Indian Americans; (5) social life and customs; (6) teaching and studying about Asian Indian Americans; (7) political attitudes and behavior; (8) family environment; (9) community and legal environments; (10) health perspectives; (11) employment and economic status; (12) Asian Indian American professionals and businesses; (13) Asian Indian American students; (14) civil rights and discrimination; (15) interviews and surveys; (16) cultural assimilation and religiosity; (17) issues of children, women, and the elderly; (18) consumer and investment behavior; (19) biographies and travelogues; (20) community directories; (21) magazines and newspapers; (22) videos, movies, and musical productions; and (23) bibliographies on Asian Indian Americans. Contains 762 references.   [More]  Descriptors: Acculturation, Asian Americans, Behavior Patterns, Civil Rights

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs. (1977). Meetings of the American Indian Policy Review Commission (Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado, February 20, May 8 and 9, 1976). Volume 2. The American Indian Policy Review Commission convened a hearing on February 20, 1976, to determine progress made by the task forces. The chairman of Task Force No. 1 began the testimony by explaining that his group had been involved with the determination of just what the rights of the Indian are and what the implications are for future national commitments to Indian people. Goals stated by other chairmen were: define the rights and needs of terminated and nonfederally recognized Indians; clarify jurisdictions so that various lawsuits could be settled; define Indian education by and with the Indian people, describe the present status of Indian education and develop a series of position papers on recurring problems; examine the structure and function of tribal governments and their ability to fulfill the needs and desires of tribal members; and elevate the health of American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Other goals stated were: examine in depth the problem of Indian alcoholism; look at the total federal delivery system of Indian services and Indian participation; examine resource areas; and review Federal-Indian law. On May 8, 1976, the Commission met in Denver to gather evidence from various tribal leaders and members for determining whether the governmental structures serve the Indian people.   [More]  Descriptors: Agency Role, Alaska Natives, American Indian Education, American Indians

Wilkinson, Etta Lou; And Others (1975). Bridging the Gap: The Twin Cities Native American Community. As part of its responsibility to advise the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concerning civil rights problems within the State, the Minnesota Advisory Committee submitted this report of its 6-month study on urban American Indians in the Twin Cities. During its investigation, which culminated in open hearings in January 1974, the Advisory Committee examined the responsiveness of Twin Cities institutions to Native Americans in the areas of employment, education, administration of justice, and health care. Interviews were conducted with citizens of the Indian community; local, State, and Federal officials; educators; officials from private agencies; and other resource persons. The Advisory Committee found that Native Americans were afflicted with much of the cultural, social, and economic damage felt by other minority groups. Their situation was complicated by the Federal Government's failure to honor treaty obligations and statutory responsibilities. Among its other findings were: (1) Indian-oriented programs which have had a beneficial impact on the administration of justice, especially the Legal Rights Center, Inc. and the St. Paul American Indian Movement (AIM) patrol, ran the risk of discontinued funding; (2) the dropout rate for Native American students was significantly higher than for students of other races; and (3) at all levels of government employment, Indians held the lower paying positions.   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Adjustment (to Environment), American Indians, Civil Rights

Losen, Daniel J.; Martinez, Tia; Gillespie, Jon (2012). Suspended Education in California, Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles. The Civil Rights Project has been examining out-of-school suspensions since 1999 due to concerns about the frequency of suspensions, observed racial disparities in their systemic use and the possible negative impact, especially for children of color. Most important, a robust study of school discipline by the Council of State Governments tracked every middle school student in Texas over 6 years and has helped educators crystalize what the evidence has always suggested: that the frequent use of out-of-school suspensions has no academic benefits, is strongly associated with low achievement, a heightened risk for dropping out and a greater likelihood of juvenile justice involvement. If suspending a student out-of-school for minor infractions is a counterproductive educational response, logic dictates that it should be reserved as a measure of last resort. Unfortunately, education policy makers and parents are not fully aware of just how many students are at risk for being suspended. For the first time, this report and companion spreadsheet covering nearly 500 districts reveals to the public the unusually high levels of risk for suspension as well as the stark differences in discipline when these risks are presented by race, gender and disability status. The alarming findings suggest not only a hidden crisis for many historically disadvantaged subgroups in too many districts but also a widespread need to reform discipline policy for California's public schools. Data released from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the US Department of Education revealed that more than 400,000 students were suspended out-of-school at least one time during the 2009-10 school year in California. That's enough students suspended out-of-school to fill every seat in all the professional baseball and football stadiums in the state, with no guarantee of any adult supervision. OCR collected data from districts on the number of students who were suspended just once during the year and the number suspended more than once. The analysis in this report combined these two mutually exclusive categories in order to report the number of students suspended one or more times as a percentage of their total enrollment. This report describes this percentage as the "risk" for suspension. Methods are appended. (Contains 3 figures and 3 tables.)[Note: Spreadheet in Excel format with additional data available at publisher's web site.]   [More]  Descriptors: Suspension, Civil Rights, Low Achievement, Juvenile Justice

Krumm, Bernita L. (2006). Women in History–Sarah Winnemucca: Native Educator and Human Rights Advocate, Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. This article profiles Sarah Winnemucca, a Native educator and dedicated human rights advocate who devoted her life to building communication and creating understanding between the Native and white cultures. On March 1, 2005, Congressman Jon Porter of Nevada addressed Congress on a bill to allow for the placement of a statue of Sarah Winnemucca into the National Statutory Hall. "Sarah led an incredible life," Porter asserted, adding that Winnemucca "has become a part of Nevada history that will never be forgotten" (Porter, 2005). One of only eight women represented in the National Statutory Hall Collection, Winnemucca was a spokesperson and advocate for Indian rights. Her autobiography, "Life Among the Piutes," the first published book by a Native American woman, relates the story of white settlement from the Native American perspective. Although she died at the age of 47, Winnemucca's accomplishments were numerous; she is revered as an educator and defender of human rights.   [More]  Descriptors: Females, American Indians, Profiles, Advocacy

Clery, Sue; Lee, John (1999). Higher Education Staff, NEA Higher Education Research Center Update. This report reviews changes in higher education staff by occupation between 1993 and 1997. Specific attention is paid to staffing patterns in states with right to work laws compared to those without it. When a state enacts a right to work law, it can be assumed it is not supportive of public unions. This analysis is based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics 1997 Fall Staff in Postsecondary Institutions data file. The number of higher education employees increased very slightly between 1993 and 1997, as did full-time equivalent (FTE) student enrollment. The ratio of staff to FTE students remained nearly constant. Over the same time period, part-time staff increased 7%, while full-time staff declined 1%. The number of part-time employees increased in all occupational categories. The percentage of women in higher education remained constant from 1993 to 1997, but the share of women in clerical and secretarial positions decreased, and women represented a large share of full-time and part-time employees in executive and administrative and faculty positions in 1997 than in 1993. The share of Hispanic, African American, or American Indian higher education staff changed little from 1993 to 1997, and the share of new hires that were minority decreased slightly. The economic expansion of the Southern and Plains states, often states with right to work laws, resulted in higher education enrollment and staffing increases between 1993 and 1997. In states without a right to work law, although the number of faculty decreased, the number of new faculty hires with tenure increased. This may indicate a general trend to reduce job security among faculty in right to work states.   [More]  Descriptors: College Faculty, Employment Patterns, Higher Education, School Personnel

Gomez, Rudolph, Ed.; And Others (1974). The Social Reality of Ethnic America. The contents of this compendium are organized in four parts, as follows: Part 1, "Blacks in Transition: An Overview of Afro-Americans," includes: "Introduction," Clement Cottingham, Jr.; "The New Negro," Nathan I. Huggins; "Political Change in the Negro Ghetto, 1900-1940's," Martin Kilson; "Minority Group Psychology: Implications for Social Action," Alvin F. Poussaint; "The Myth of Coalition," Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Harrington; and other essays. Part 2, "Introduction to the American Indians," includes: "Introduction," Kathleen O'Brien Jackson; "History of the San Felipe Pueblo People," Governor Sanchez; "Economic Development of the American Indian and His Lands," National Congress of American Indians; "Federal Encroachment of Indian Water Rghts and the Impairment of Reservation Development," William H. Veeder; and other essays. Part 3, "Japanese Americans: The 'Model Minority' in Perspective," includes: "Introduction," Russell Endo; "The Japanese-American Experience: 1890-1940," Roger Daniels; "The Great Betrayal," Audrie Girdner and Anne Loftis; "Six Times Down, Seven Times Up," William Peterson; and other essays. Part 4, "Mexican Americans: From Internal Colonialism to the Chicano Movement," includes: "Introduction," Rudolph Gomez; "The Right to Equal Opportunity," Lawrence B. Glick; "Perspective on Politics," Alfredo Cuellar; "Colonialism: The Case of the Mexican Americans," Joan W. Moore; and other essays. Descriptors: American Indians, Blacks, Civil Rights, Ethnic Discrimination

Bland, Laurel L. (1974). Eskimo and American Indian Studies Curriculum Development Regarding American Native Oral Tradition: Legal Safeguards and Public Domain–A Discussion. The United States Attorney General ruled in 1968 that all U.S. citzens 1/4 or more genetic descent of the aboriginal people of North America are, for administrative purposes, titled American Indians even though they may be known as Eskimos or Aleuts. The U.S. recognizes tribal groups as sovereign bodies and conducts business and civil affairs with them accordingly. This paper examines an area in U.S. Law (Codes) that is either unclear or entirely lacking in treating a matter of tribal right to ownership or control of the accumulated literary and intellectual heritage of a tribe and its right to protect its members from exploitation regarding their personal knowledge of tribal cultural heritage. The topic is discussed in light of existing law and custom and several approaches to solving the problem or clarifying the situation are described. In light of the discussion, it is concluded that morally and ethically elements of cultural heritage of the American Indians, Aleuts, and Eskimos that lend themselves to ethnographic research methods and electronic or photographic recording are by virtue of "a priori" right and possession the intellectually created property of the tribes and their members.   [More]  Descriptors: Administrative Policy, American Indians, Court Litigation, Cultural Background

Daehnke, Jon; Lonetree, Amy (2011). Repatriation in the United States: The Current State of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, American Indian Culture and Research Journal. Repatriation in the United States today is synonymous with the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Although repatriations of Native American ancestral remains and cultural objects certainly occurred–and continue to occur–outside of the purview of NAGPRA, this law remains the centerpiece of repatriation activities in the United States. NAGPRA is important human-rights legislation, designed first and foremost to address the historical inequities created by a legacy of past collecting practices; the continual disregard for Native religious beliefs and burial practices; and a clear contradiction between how the graves of white Americans and graves of Native Americans have been treated. NAGPRA attempts to address these inequities by giving Native American communities greater control over the remains of their ancestors and cultural objects, and the law has provided some measure of success in this regard. But in the nearly twenty years since its passage, some significant shortcomings of NAGPRA have become readily apparent. The purpose of this article is to look at some of these shortcomings in NAGPRA, specifically the problems associated with the large numbers of culturally unidentifiable human remains (CUHRs) that exist in museums and federal agencies throughout the United States. Ultimately, the authors' goal is to question whether NAGPRA actually represents a moment of decolonization in practice or a modified continuation of the status quo. Before reaching that point, however, they provide a brief history of past collecting practices that moved Native American objects and human remains into museums, universities, and federal agencies in the first place and necessitated the passage of a law like NAGPRA. This article is designed to look specifically at the development of NAGPRA and the lingering problems associated with its implementation in the United States.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indian Culture, American Indians, Museums, Public Agencies

Betz, Don (1991). International Initiatives and Education of Indigenous Peoples: Teaching and Learning to "Dance in Two Worlds.". This paper discusses international initiatives concerning the rights of indigenous people, particularly the education of American Indians. Select United Nations and other international organizations continue to demonstrate genuine concern for the survival, growth and development of indigenous peoples. Many international efforts are in preparation for the United Nations designated "Year of Indigenous Peoples" in 1993. Education is high on the list of challenges faced by indigenous peoples. Education extends awareness and appreciation of the culture among its members and prepares indigenous peoples for productive and effective roles in the dominant economy. Recent studies of American Indian education contend that the integration of American Indian language and culture into the regular school curriculum is critical to improving student achievement. College faculty members can play a crucial role in the cultural awareness and retention of Indian college students. Helpful guidelines for interacting with Indian students include: (1) understanding and dealing with racism; (2) recognizing non-traditional leadership skills; (3) recognizing the need for a strong support person; (4) recognizing the need for long-range and short-term goals and objectives; (5) recognizing the need for understanding self; and (6) recognizing the need for a positive self-image. Faculty should also consider aspects of Indian culture which are relevant to learning such as a strong oral tradition and a preference for synthesis of information rather than rote learning. Descriptors: American Indian Education, Biculturalism, Civil Liberties, Cognitive Style

Wiedman, Dennis (2010). Global Marketing of Indigenous Culture: Discovering Native America with Lee Tiger and the Florida Miccosukee, American Indian Culture and Research Journal. Indigenous scholars such as Seminole/Shawnee historian, Donald Fixico, drew attention to the lack of academic literature about the proactive, planned, and strategic actions of indigenous peoples. Most histories portray indigenous peoples as responding, accommodating, and assimilating to non-Indians and the US government. This article highlights the successful entrepreneurial skills of the Miccosukee from the perspective of Lee Tiger, a Miccosukee from the opposite-most southeastern point of the United States, while providing an opportunity for this story to be told in the academic literature from the Native perspective. This story reveals the agency, empowerment, and voice that are part of self-generated tourism, cultural education, and the marketing of indigenous culture. This is an example of how one tribal group lives the intentions of the UN indigenous rights statement calling for indigenous communities to be in control of their own electronic media, economic development, and cultural practices. Overall, this article adds to one's knowledge of indigenous-led proactive endeavors, providing a model for indigenous communities throughout the world that strive to sustain their community's economic, cultural, and environmental integrity. It also raises critical issues about tourism, the commodification of tribal culture, and indigenous forms of capitalism.   [More]  Descriptors: Economic Development, Indigenous Populations, Tourism, Cultural Education

Harris, LaDonna (1971). Americans for Indian Opportunity, Civil Rights Digest. A description by its president of the history and purposes of "Americans for Indian Opportunity," a national nonprofit organization governed jointly by Indians and interested non-Indians. Descriptors: American Indians, Bias, Civil Rights, Economic Opportunities

Wattenberg, Esther, Ed. (2000). Sovereignty: The Heart of the Matter. Critical Considerations on the Interface between the Indian Child Welfare Act and Adoption and Safe Families Act. A Summary of Proceedings of the Conference (Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 17, 2000). The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) recognizes tribes' rights to exercise authority over the welfare of Native American children. Although the ICWA was passed more than 20 years ago, its implementation in Minnesota has been uneven. A conference was held to rectify that situation, and these proceedings provide, among other things, information on negotiations, based on relationships of respect and equity, that have been accomplished between a number of tribes and their county affiliates. The first presentation, by John Red Horse, discusses the concept of sovereignty and its significance for ICWA. Valerie Lane gives a national perspective of critical considerations on the interface between the ICWA and the permanency planning required by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA).  Next, Georgia Wetlin-Larson presents a Minnesota perspective on this interface, followed by a rural county perspective given by Fran Felix. The fifth presentation is a roundtable discussion on sorting out the relationship of the tribal courts and the state court system. Roundtable participants included Anita Fineday, Herbert Lefler, and James White. Examples of best practices from the field are given by Fred Smith, Susan Ault, Julia Jaakola, Don Bacigalupo, Gertrude Buckanaga, and Mary Renville. The final presentation addresses strengthening the infrastructure of the ICWA, and is presented by a panel consisting of Rose Robinson, Rose Andrade, and Georgette Christensen. Three appendices present a summary of Department of Human Services guidance, data on Minnesota's American Indian children, and Minnesota's timeline for Indian child welfare cases.   [More]  Descriptors: Adoption, American Indians, Boarding Schools, Child Welfare

White, Jay Vincent (1972). Taxing Those They Found Here. An Examination of the Tax Exempt Status of the American Indian. In 1971, the Institute for the Development of American Indian Law was organized to develop a program which would begin to sort out the inconsistencies and contradictory doctrines blocking any final settlement of the rights of American Indians. The field of taxation is one in which conflicts have continually arisen. This text is intended to give tribal councils, individuals, tribal lawyers, and administrators working with Indian people a source document to aid them in understanding the complexity of the subject matter. The subject of Indian taxation involves tribal self-government, treaty rights, Congressional powers over individual Indians and tribes, and the relationship of tribal governments to state governments and agencies. The text outlines the problems which are encountered in the following topic areas: treaties, statutes and "attributes of sovereignty"; tax exempt Indians and the courts; tax exempt status of Indians in Washington State; and Washington and Public Law 280: The Tonasket Case. The text examines the current state of Indian rights and explains to Indian people the basis of their claims to certain legal rights. The book is designed to give a historical overview to the theories of taxation which affect Indian income derived from trust lands covering the major cases in the Federal court system which have tried to define the tax status of Indian people as regards their property. In addition, the book covers the major developments in the field of state taxation of Indian people. In the appendixes, the full texts of 6 reported court decisions are reprinted. Descriptors: American Indian Reservations, American Indians, Civil Rights, Court Litigation

Léonard, Jean Léo; McCabe Gragnic, Julie; Avilés González, Karla Janiré (2013). Multilingual Policies Put into Practice: Co-Participative Educational Workshops in Mexico, Current Issues in Language Planning. In a national context where the language rights of indigenous people have been recognized constitutionally since 2003, we deal with the following questions: How can bilingual education programmes in Mexico be clearly defined and applied? And what exactly are the final objectives of a bilingual education programme? We shall address the issue of the potential forms and contents of bilingual education from the standpoint of our experience working with schoolteachers, in co-participative educational workshops in two multilingual areas in Central and South-Eastern Mexico, from 2009 to 2012. Indeed, the multidimensional use of native languages and knowledge through workshops held in a number of Mexican languages, in which the participants produce texts and drawings in their own languages, directly raises pedagogical issues on language planning in the classroom. The dominant model for bilingual and intercultural education (BIE) in Mexico today corresponds to that of "incorporation" through "subtractive bilingualism": teaching in the native language, switching then to Spanish in order to teach the official pedagogical contents, and in detriment of language and culture specificities. Our work suggests that BIE could represent a constructive, empowering alternative adaptable to local community contexts.   [More]  Descriptors: Multilingualism, Foreign Countries, Workshops, Freehand Drawing

Reyhner, Jon (2010). Indigenous Language Immersion Schools for Strong Indigenous Identities, Heritage Language Journal. Drawing on evidence from indigenous language immersion programs in the United States, this article makes the case that these immersion programs are vital to healing the negative effects of colonialism and assimilationist schooling that have disrupted many indigenous homes and communities. It describes how these programs are furthering efforts to decolonize indigenous education and helping further United Nations policies supporting the rights of indigenous peoples. The fit between place-, community-, and culture-based education and immersion language programs is described with examples from Apache, Ojibwe, Dine (Navajo), Hawaiian, and Blackfeet language programs, illustrating how traditional indigenous values are infused into language programs to help build strong positive identities in indigenous students and their communities.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indians, American Indian Languages, Immersion Programs, Foreign Policy

Debenport, Erin (2011). As the Rez Turns: Anomalies within and beyond the Boundaries of a Pueblo Community, American Indian Culture and Research Journal. After initial instruction in written and spoken Tiwa, young adult participants in the summer language program at San Antonio Pueblo began authoring their own pedagogical materials as a learning activity. Charged with writing pedagogical dialogues to aid in language learning, the students created "the first Native soap opera," as the students described it, which they named "As the Rez Turns." In this paper, I analyze the processes of entextualization surrounding the creation of this text, its generic features, and its content, which provides a glimpse into the contemporary lived experience of community members in this community that emphasizes strict control of textual circulation and limiting access to local knowledge. I utilize Philip Deloria's (2004) analysis of Native Americans' engagement with popular cultural forms and linguistic anthropological work on intertextuality and genre to analyze this example of representation, outlining the extra- and intracommunity generic and ideological "expectations" conditioning the creation of this dialogue to show how the students utilize associated "anomalies" as discursive resources to construct veiled political commentaries and assert the right to author indigenous-language materials. By including stylistic and thematic elements outside of and in dialogue with the standard forms of pedagogical language dialogues and contemporary soap operas among other genres, the final text is an example of the ways that indigenous people continue to "creat[e] modernity in dialogue with others" (Deloria, 2004, 238). Pueblo-language ideologies privileging indirection are honored in the creation of this covert political commentary supposedly created as a neutral language learning tool. Thus "As the Rez Turns" is an example of a comedy of manners, highlighting membership issues, gender, and indigenous identity in this community.   [More]  Descriptors: American Indians, Ideology, Adults, Comedy

Hayes, Francis (1975). Gesticulation: A Plan of Classification. People take their folk gestures seriously, which is illustrated in the fact that several folk gestures, such as raising the right hand and kissing the Bible, are used in religious and legal ceremonies. These and other gestures, such as making the sign of the cross and knocking on wood, are folk gestures used today which have their roots in early religion and tradition. Gestures include "official" types used by the deaf and dumb, American Indians or sports referees; military salutes; and gestures communicating fear, anger, friendship, scorn, etc. Nervous or autistic gestures are widespread. Ethnographers, sociologists, psychologists and others study gestures to determine their origins and significance. Tribal or political gestures and salutes can unite people or create enemies.  The picture writing of American Indians, Egytian hieroglyphics and Chinese written characters may have their origins in gestures. Numerous English words and metaphoric idioms reflect gestures: "highbrow, bootlicker, holding one's head high, pricking up one's ears, keeping a stiff upper lip," etc. A practical classification of gestures might include: (1) fold gestures – shaking the head for a negative, pointing, shaking a fist in defiance, etc.; (2) technical gestures – sign language of the deaf or of North American Indians, umpire signalling, etc.; (3) autistic or nervous gestures, such as doodling, fiddling with an object in the hand, etc. A few resource works are recommended for those interested in studying gestures. Descriptors: Body Language, Classification, Communication (Thought Transfer), Idioms

Ball, Jessica (2012). Identity and Knowledge in Indigenous Young Children's Experiences in Canada, Childhood Education. In Canada, as around the world, large numbers of Indigenous children encounter culturally dissonant learning environments in preschools and schools. Many of these children experience serious challenges, in part because of a striking mismatch between their early learning experiences in the family and community, and the expectations, perceptions, and task demands of non-Indigenous educators. These mismatches undoubtedly contribute to frequent identification of First Nations children as having learning disabilities, and to consequently high rates of early school failure and drop-out (Assembly of First Nations, 2005; Richards, 2008). Thus, it is crucial to understand the ways in which Indigenous children are ready to learn, and to acknowledge the skills, interests, and knowledge they have developed in their families and communities during their early years. This article highlights First Nations children's participation in family and community activities in order to learn such time-honored concepts and skills as the heritage Indigenous language, a literacy of the land, and the right time and place for different kinds of activities and expressions. The discussion emphasizes how these early learning opportunities stimulate First Nations children's cultural identity and spirituality and concludes with how teachers can create a culturally safe environment for building children's self-concepts as capable learners.   [More]  Descriptors: Indigenous Populations, Learning Disabilities, Foreign Countries, Learning Readiness

Klaiber, Jeffrey (2013). Fe y Alegría in Peru: Solidarity and Service in Catholic Education, International Studies in Catholic Education. Fe y Alegría (Faith and Joy) refers to the network of schools for the poor run by the Jesuits in Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded originally in 1955 in Venezuela by Father José María Vélaz, by 2010 Fe y Alegría had spread to 17 countries in Latin America and now operates one in Chad. The Fe y Alegría schools are essentially convenant schools based on an agreement between the church and the state. The Jesuits build the schools and the state agrees to pay the salaries of the teachers. The Jesuits reserve the right to name the teachers and the directors. The teachers are on the payroll of the state and the curriculum taught in the schools is the same as in all public or state schools. The agreement favours all sides. The Jesuits guarantee quality education for the poor and at the same time share the burden with the state of educating thousands (in Peru, 81,000 students are currently enrolled in Fe y Alegría schools) of poor children. The agreement allows the Jesuits to provide education for the poor on a wide scale that, through lack of financial support, they otherwise would not have been able to do.   [More]  Descriptors: Catholic Schools, Churches, Government School Relationship, Educational Finance

Jaker, Alessandro Michelangelo (2012). Prosodic Reversal in Dogrib (Weledeh Dialect), ProQuest LLC. This thesis presents a comprehensive phonological analysis of the Weledeh dialect of Dogrib, a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in the Northwest Territories, Canada, based on the author's own fieldwork. The phonology of Northern Athabaskan languages, and Dogrib in particular, has to date been regarded as highly irregular, and subject to extensive morphological conditioning. This thesis presents an alternative view, whereby the morphophonemic alternations of Dogrib are conditioned prosodically, by factors such as stress, tone, syllable weight, and foot boundaries. When prosodic factors are taken into account, the need for morphological conditioning is greatly reduced, and the resulting phonological system is much more regular than previously thought.   As a general theoretical framework, I assume the theory of Lexical Phonology (Kiparsky 1982, 1985, Mohanan 1986). A central tenet of this theory is level ordering, by which affixes are added in successive stages, known as levels (or strata), and different rules (or constraints) apply at each level. Specifically, I assume that Dogrib phonology is organized into a total of five levels: the Root Level (Level 1), the Inner Stem Level (Level 2), the Outer Stem Level (Level 3), the Word Level (Level 4) and the Postlexical Level (Level 5), as has been proposed previously for the related languages Slave (Rice 1982, 1989) and Sekani (Hargus 1988). Within this framework, I argue for the Prosodic Reversal Hypothesis, which claims that the conjunct prefixes (Levels 2 and 3) follow an iambic (weak-strong) stress pattern, with feet constructed from left to right, whereas the disjunct prefixes (Levels 4 and 5) are trochaic (strong-weak), with feet constructed from right to left. In addition, the phonological processes of both systems are typologically normal, in that they follow the Iambic/Trochaic Law (Hayes 1995): iambic feet cause both lengthening in strong position and syncope in weak position, while trochaic feet cause deletion of medial consonants and repair degenerate feet through gemination. This IV situation is most likely due to a prosodic shift which Dogrib underwent historically, from a predominantly iambic to a predominantly trochaic system.   [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.%5D   [More]  Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Phonology, Linguistic Theory, Dialects