Legal and Ethical Issues

Books

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People

This book dismantles a Westernized version of history. The foundation and “discovery” of the United States is told from an Indigenous perspective. Dunbar-Ortiz dives into the stories of treaties, genocide, the roles of British colonizers, and ways the U.S. system perpetuates misconceptions of the country’s history. It is modified from the original text in order to reach a younger student audience. The book is hugely insightful for any age and the original version contains the same stories and information while written for adults and higher level readers. Scholars have found her depictions of history in relation to tribal sovereignty important for further understanding concepts in this area.

Decolonizing Methodologies

This book provides an in-depth analysis and history of the relationship between academic research and Indigenous communities. Linda Tuhiwai Smith discusses the impact colonization and Westernized research methods have had on Indigenous knowledge and identities. Many scholars comment on the impact of her examples of oppressive research methodologies within Maori communities. Scholars have found her words enlightening when processing ideas of historical trauma, decolonization, and Indigenous-specific issues in psychological and educational research. Smith delves deep into methods for deconstructing colonialist research practices that perpetuate colonizing views of indigenous knowledge.

Reclaiming Youth at Risk

This book describes the alienation of our children in modern, Western society alongside an alternative holistic Indigenous philosophy of child development. The authors use the context of education when offering strategies for encouragement and reclaiming our struggling youth. The book shares Brokenleg's “Circle of Courage” that gives students a sense of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. Scholars have used Brokenleg’s model and ideology to create deeper meaning to the ethical and legal issues so important for Native students in schools today.

We Are Dancing for You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women's Coming-of-Age Ceremonies

This book is a collection of personal stories about cultural revitalization and tradition from within the Hoopa Valley Tribe. It makes connections and context with the women’s coming-of-age ceremony, the Flower Dance and focuses on the women who worked to revitalize the tradition to strengthen female identity. It demonstrates a story of cultural revitalization in a Native woman’s tribe promoting strong cultural resilience and combating colonizing forces of gender inequality, stereotypes, and violence. Dr. Risling Baldy's collection of oral histories in conjunction with museum archives and anthropological records, cultural knowledge, active participation in the ceremonies and community create an empowering example of research through an indigenous framework.