We all start somewhere: Paving the Path to Higher Education through an Indigenous Perspective.

Janine Frances Tsethlikai

Pueblo of Laguna and Zuni

“Pueblo of Laguna Flag.” Infobase, Facts On File. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=281098. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

“Zuni Tribe Flag.” Infobase, Facts On File. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=202506. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

Tsethlikai, Janine “Grad Picture”- August 3, 2024 Author’s Personal Collection

Janine Tsethlikai.mp4

Identity

Tsethlikai, Janine “Feast Day”- September 19, 2024 Author’s Personal Collection

Sharing One Skin

In the article “Sharing One Skin”, by Jeanette Armstrong we are introduced to the experiences and teachings of the Okanagan people where we were introduced to the ‘four selves’ which also ties into our ways as Native Pueblo People. Within the article they mention how a lot of the words in their language can’t be translated into English which emphasizes how much they rely on their language to survive. When talking about the four selves they all go hand in hand with each other and show that one can’t exist without the other because then the person as an individual won’t survive.

Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

Tsethlikai, Janine “Sunset”- November 5, 2024 Author’s Personal Collection

And I went to School

Joe Suina’s story “And then I went to school” was an introduction of the struggles that the pueblo kids back then went through in order to ‘get an education’ several generations later in both good and bad ways. The generational trauma that was passed down came into play with his story too because they talk about how they were treated in the school and the struggles they went through while trying to adapt to a whole new world, while being forced to leave the only one that they’ve ever known behind. I wish I hadn’t lost touch with my language but now all I can do is fight to relearn it. With that I believe that every individual who attended a native boarding school is set back in our traditional and cultural world but put ahead in other ways in the ‘Whiteman’s’ world.

Suina, Joseph “And I went to school” memories of a pueblo childhood,”. New Mexico Journal of Reading, Winter 1985, Vol. V, No.2.

Tsethlikai, Janine “Landscape”- August 16, 2024 Author’s Personal Collection

How place names impact the way we see landscape

Memories and stories are connected to our lord as described by, B. Toastie in the article, “How place names impact the way we see landscape”. We all have different perceptions of how we see things based on our upbringing and every single one of us has a different story. The lands that we live on today are the same lands that our ancestors walked, lived and breathed life into all those years ago. Everywhere you look and go to ‘explore’ there is a story to be told, a lesson to be taught, and advice to be given. It’s always up to you, yourself to listen and take in what has to be said and what you do with it is also only your choice. The cultures across the globe all have their individual beliefs and traditions but we are all the same in a few ways, one of them being that we all only want one thing: to keep our cultures alive and thriving. There are several instances where we relate to one another, one being how the syllable yee is added to a person's name when being talked about if they have already passed on, which is how we also do it in my tradition.

Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022, https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact- the-way-we-see-landscape.

History

Theory to Practice: Researching Indigenous Education in the United States

In the article ‘Theory to Practice: Researching Indigenous Education in the United States’, the early attempts of research in Native Communities was seen as “preserving narratives of white supremacy”(p. 12). Boarding schools were another ‘Field of Study’ used as an example for other people to educate themselves on before digging into more research. Indigenous people are referred to as “problems to solve” in which each of the ‘early research’ that was being conducted, none of it was “focused on the structural factors involved in creating and maintaining a school system that was hostile toward Indigenous learners”. Indigenous peoples were stereotyped throughout the article but also in a way ‘dehumanized’ by the research being conducted. According to the article “majority” of the individuals that were researching these communities were “white researchers” who “conducted in ways that disrespected Indigenous participants and did not create purposeful research”.

Masta, Stephanie. "Theory-to-Practice: Researching Indigenous Education in the United States." International Journal of Multicultural Education, vol. 24, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 1+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A703175757/AONE?u=nm_s_santafeis&sid=ebsco&xid=061df6d1. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Understanding the Indigenous Student to Foster Success in Higher Education

In Allie Johnston’s “Understanding the Indigenous Student to Foster Success in Higher Education” the history is being explored in depth and talks about how “higher education systems” were used as an opportunity to “practice” religious and philanthropic motives. The reference to the lack of representation and limited resources was basically setting up Indigenous students up for failure. It was later “compensated” for with the ‘TCU’s’ which have expanded from certificates and associate's degrees to bachelor and degree programs, with the goal of “offering Indigenous peoples higher education without losing their cultural identity” (p. 41). They mention statistics, like indigenous high school dropout rates bring double the national average. The mention of students leading the ‘rez’ for college “exist in both worlds and are constantly bargaining theri sense of belonging in both communities” really brought on a personal connection because knowing that I attend a boarding school and also struggle with a “tug of war” between home and school.

Johnston, Allie. “Understanding the Indigenous Student to Foster Success in Higher Education.” Journal of Student Affairs, New York University, New York University. 82 Washington Square East 7th Floor, New York, NY 10003. e-mail: josa.nyu@gmail.com; Web site: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/journal-student-affairs, 30 Nov. 2022, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1392886.

Unpacking the Indigenous Experience

In the TedTalk given by Matthew Provost “Unpacking the Indigenous Experience” he mentions the ‘Two Worlds’. Where navigating the different spaces we even start to question our own identity. Provost refers to this as “it’s almost like you speak two languages”, he is right because we have our traditional languages but as we get away from ‘the rez’ we are forced to speak English. When we are ultimately making the decision to leave and further our education; not only are we breaking stereotypes but we are also bettering the future of our culture and traditions. Even in classroom settings Provost talked about how we still face racism and have to be the ‘teachers’ in those situations.

Provost, Matthew. “Unpacking the Indigenous Student Experience | Matthew Provost | TEDxSFU.” YouTube, YouTube, 21 Jan. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JmAlnEo27A&list=PLgKzmlnHpQnesUrE5oWgrdY0KUNIdjtZx&index=4.

Current State of the Issue

Tsethlikai, Janine “Cultural Sharing '22”- July 15, 2022. Author’s Personal Collection

A Story of Resiliency and Success: Beyond the Native American Boarding School.

“A story of resiliency and success: Beyond the Native American Boarding School”, by Ritch Eich tells the story of ‘Uncle Ed’ and his wife who were sent to one of the ‘first off-reservation’ boarding schools. Eich describes the article not as “not a rags-to-riches story” but as a “story about modest people with core values of hard work, perseverance, and gumption, who genuinely cared about others and devoted their lives to helping their community”. Edward E. Marshall (Uncle Ed) was a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, a reservation “located in a forested valley surrounded by mountains and coastal redwoods”. The forced assimilation from these schools was ‘mandated’ from the 1800s up until 1997. Throughout Uncle Ed's Time at the boarding school, they were taught academic subjects and industrial training; that of which he learned to work with electricity, which he used and turned into a career in his adult years. His wife who he met at an elementary school and married in 1939, moved to San Francisco in 1941, then later back onto the “rez”. “They didn’t spend their lives chasing wealth” and “never shared or bragged about their success stories” which summarized the resiliency and perseverance they had through their life challenges.

Eich, Ritch (2024) "A Story of Resiliency and Success: Beyond the Native American Boarding School," The Journal of Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 17 : Iss. 2 , Article 16.

Tsethlikai, Janine “Tassel”- February 28, 2025. Author’s Personal Collection

The 2024 election could have a Big Impact on Education Policy

In ABC News’ article written by Jennifer Vilcarino the four main education related ballot measures on state ballots were being “discussed and dissected”. Throughout the article holistically, I believe that the outcome from this year's election will have a pretty big impact on the education systems, and probably not in the best way. With many other issues being “challenged” and others being brought up with concern, the polls/statistics clearly show that the issues of our education “fell through the cracks”. The article states “while the number of education related ballot measures have decreased overall in the last 20 years, they are having a bit of a moment here in 2024”. Overall, this gave so much insight as to what role education played in this election.

Vilcarino, Jennifer. “The 2024 Election Could Have a Big Impact on Education Policy.” ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024, abcnews.go.com/538/2024-election-big-impact-education-policy/story id=114849832.

Global Connections

Indigenous Perspectives on Native Student Challenges in Higher Education.

Robin Minthorns’ Article “Indigenous Perspectives on Native Student Challenges in Higher Education” sheds light on many of the common and uncommon problems. These problems that are being faced by Indigenous students are very preventable if the right actions are taken, like the ones mentioned in this article. Minthornś's view on Native Americans in Higher Education is very open, especially when it comes to where we come from and how we were brought up. The biggest take away from this article was “Everyone is different” and has their own opinions on navigating Higher Education. With that, postsecondary institutions should be focusing on how they can make their own environment more suitable for Indigenous students, with the data that they've collected so far.

Minthorn, Robin Zape-tah-hol-ah . “Indigenous Perspectives on Native Student Challenges in Higher Education.” Higher Education Today, 28 Jan. 2020, www.higheredtoday.org/2020/01/28/indigenous-perspectives-native-student-challenges-higher-education

Hispanic Students can shape our future- If we reshape college.

Jamie Merisotis’ article “Hispanic students can shape our future - if we reshape College” explores the problem surrounding Hispanic college students and those who plan to go. With the many problems that they face, the biggest one was immigration since most students come from immigrant families. Surrounding the main issue comes other issues which include semicolon language and financial barriers. With the number of Hispanic students enrolling in higher education institutions there are many ideas on how to improve the overall “dropout rate”. Overall, the article named many probable causes and solutions that were reasonable given the information.

Merisotis, Jamie. “Hispanic Students Can Shape Our Future—If We Reshape College.” Forbes, 19 Oct. 2023, www.forbes.com/sites/jamiemerisotis/2023/10/19/hispanic-students-can-shape-our-future-if-we-reshape-college/.

A snapshot of African Americans and Higher Education.

In the mini brief: “A snapshot of African Americans and Higher Education” gives an inside look into the significant history of their timeline in education. Then focuses on the present-day struggles that African American students go through while trying to navigate the postsecondary / higher education institutions. Some of the barriers that are faced include Financial barriers, Racial and Ethical barriers and also the majority of the minority population being first generation College students. Even in today's so-called “evolved” society the African-American student population still faces these situations but with their “unwavering fight to obtain access to education” this battle is far from over.

“A Snapshot of African Americans in Higher Education.” IHEP, 29 Jan. 2021, www.ihep.org/publication/a-snapshot-of-african-americans-in-higher-education/. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Personal Connection

My Reason Why:

Growing up I was always taught to put my education first & to get away from 'the rez'. My Family were the ones who knew I would "go far in life" to get a good education. (MS)2 was one of the opportunities I got through the school & got me where I wanted to be with my schooling. The program itself taught me a lot inside and outside the classroom. Going into the program as a minority (Native American) I started to view 'higher education' from a different perspective.

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