UNDERSTANDING THE ROLES AND MOTIVATIONS OF NONNATIVE PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK WITH NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
Open Access
- Author:
- Herr, Kelli O
- Area of Honors:
- Community, Environment, and Development
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Theodore Roberts Alter, Thesis Supervisor
Theodore Roberts Alter, Thesis Honors Advisor
Sarah Beth Shear, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Native and Nonnative Relationships
Institutional Colonization
Storytelling
Native American
History
Culture - Abstract:
- Colonization of the United States ignited a flame of distrust by Native Americans towards Nonnative Americans. After hundreds of years of genocide, assimilation, broken treaties, reservation creation, and the ongoing adverse effects of institutional colonization, a lack of trust still exists between Native and Nonnative communities. By sharing the stories of ten Nonnative professionals who work with Native American communities, my thesis is a tool for other Nonnatives who might question their role in this field. As a forewarning, this thesis does not contain the answers to what the “right” way to work with Native American communities is. However, what it can offer is a starting place towards discovering your role as a Nonnative professional who works with Native American communities. This thesis is my contribution to the ongoing dialogue about what the role of Nonnative professionals who work with Native American communities is and what it should be. It offers my interpretation of the themes I identified across the ten practitioner profiles: Colonization: Historical and Ongoing Effects, Listen to Learn, Trust takes Time, and It’s the Small things. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity for you to draw your own conclusions, engage in dialogue, and think critically about your role in this complex and interdependent world. Since we each come to the table with our own experiences, values, and worldviews, the pathways toward strengthening Native and Nonnative relationships and collaboration lie within our individual and collective capacity.