Constructive Indigenization: Educational Pathways to Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being

Abstract

American society and academics have viewed events related to Indigenous populations through a western-European, colonial influenced lens consistently for generations. Furthermore, the school environment and educational opportunities for advancement provided to Native American students have long been focused on and perpetuated "colonized"ways of knowing and being. This article proposes the concept of "constructive indigenization"as a theoretical construct for applying uniquely Indigenous cultural values, world views, and perspectives to create equitable learning experiences for Indigenous students. This article considers the historical context and unique sociocultural factors that affect the educational experiences of Indigenous people within the borders of the United States (US); proposes constructive indigenization as a mechanism for revealing areas where Indigenous ways of knowing and being can be applied to create learning environments that transcend the systemic barriers encountered by Indigenous students for generations; proposes a set of research-based questions for assessing core competencies of constructive indigenization in academic settings; identifies trends in constructive indigenization in the Native American partnerships and programs of Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU), which operate on Choctaw Nation Reservation lands with a retention rate for Native American students that consistently exceeds the US national average; and proposes areas of further study in constructive indigenization in education.