Abstract
The development and expansion of the United States has altered and constrained Indigenous (Native American) autonomy and cultural expression arguably, more significantly than any single event since prehistoric times. Indigenous people within the borders of what has become the United States have been living under various degrees of U.S. government occupation since the fledgling colonial government of the United States garnered the strength to challenge and over-run indigenous interests and territorial boundaries. Indigenous people of North American have been engaged in an ever changing, dialectic relationship with the United States since its earliest days. Indigenous agency has shaped and been influenced by often oppressive U.S. federal Indian laws and policies. Even under these difficult circumstances, Indigenous Resilience has been a driving force in indigenous agency that persists to this day. This research proposes the concept of “Constructive Indigenization” as a mechanism for observing and considering the contextual reality that exists in, around, and through the interactions between Indigenous sovereignty, nation-building, survivance, and decolonization collectively. Constructive Indigenization reveals areas where Indigenous resilience expresses ways of knowing and being that transcend systemic, economic, and social barriers by applying uniquely Indigenous cultural values, world views, and perspectives. The author applies the framework of Constructive Indigenization to Tribal endeavors in “Indian Country”.
Presenters
Patricia HornbackAssociate Professor and Coordinator, Master of Science Native American Leadership, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2021 Special Focus—The Opportunities of Crisis: Resilience and Change in World History
KEYWORDS
Indigenous, Native American, Survivance, Resilience, Indigenous Sovereignty, Nation Building
