Cultural Affairs

Akwesasne Freedom School

Year

In 1979, the Akwesasne Freedom School took form out of the Mohawk struggle for self-determination and self-government. It is characterized by a deep commitment to the maintenance of Mohawk identity. Students in this pre-kindergarten through 8th-grade language immersion school begin and end each school day reciting the Ohen:on Kariwahtekwen or Thanksgiving Address. The teachings embedded in these words express the Mohawk worldview and form the basis of the school’s curriculum. Founded by parents and supported by the Nation’s traditional and elected governments, the School offers a unique cultural and experiential education for young Mohawk citizens. It also creates new generations of Mohawks who know and live in two societies and can bridge the gap between them.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Akwesasne Freedom School." Honoring Nations: 2005 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2006. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

San Carlos Apache Elders Cultural Advisory Council

Year

The Elders Cultural Advisory Council was formed by a resolution of the San Carlos Tribal Council in 1993 to advise on culturally related matters, to consult with off-reservation entities, and to administer and oversee cultural preservation activities. As a source of traditional wisdom, the Elders Council plays an active role in the Tribe’s governance by providing insight on issues as diverse as resource management, leadership responsibilities, cultural practices, and repatriation of sacred objects. The values of self-reliance, respect, and a deep connection to nature are central to traditional Apache life and are underlying themes in all Elders Cultural Advisory Council activities, consultations, and messages. In establishing the Elders Cultural Advisory Council, the San Carlos Tribe gains access to an important source of traditional knowledge and enables a key constituency to have a voice in tribal affairs.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Elders Cultural Advisory Council." Honoring Nations: 2000 Honoree. The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2001. Report. 

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Cherokee National Youth Choir

Year

The Youth Choir presents an innovative approach to promoting and encouraging the use of the endangered Cherokee language among its youth while also instilling Cherokee cultural pride. The award-winning choir — comprised of 40 young Cherokee ambassadors — has performed in venues across the US, including the Native American Music Awards, Ground Zero, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Cherokee National Youth Choir." Honoring Nations: 2003 Honoree. The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2004. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Native Nations and Arizona's Economy

Year

American Indians are disproportionately represented among the low-income residents of the state of Arizona. Across the United States—including in Arizona—reservation economies are growing at a fast pace but low starting points for growth mean that it will take years for American Indian indicators of well-being to approach the levels enjoyed by non-Indian residents of Arizona.

Once on the margins of Arizona’s economy, Native nations are now significant contributors. Not only gaming, but mining, timber harvesting, tourism, and resort operations, among other Indian-owned business activities, generate jobs for Arizonans.

Increased Native self-determination created new economic opportunities for Indian nations. Strengthened Indigenous governance institutions created institutional environments that can sustain development. Together, these factors have spurred Native nation economic growth in the Southwest—and across the U.S. 

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Cornell, Stephen, Miriam Jorgensen. "Native Nations and Arizona's Economy," Building Arizona's Future: Jobs, Innovation and Competitiveness. 96th Arizona Town Hall, The University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. April 25-28, 2010. Report.

The Financial Literacy of Native American Youth

Author
Year

Tests of high school students conducted by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy indicate that Native American youth are less prepared to make informed financial choices than most of their peers. Jump$tart and the members of the Native Financial Education Coalition (NFEC) are working to close the gap between Native youth and their peers by advocating for improved financial education opportunities in Native communities. 

Resource Type
Citation

Jorgensen, Miriam, Lewis Mandell. "The Financial Literacy of Native American Youth." The Native Financial Education Coalition, Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, and Merrill Lynch. First Nations Oweesta Corporation. Rapid City, South Dakota. April 2007. Report.

Leadership Development in the Native Arts and Culture Sector

Year

Burgeoning cultural renewal in Native America and growing mainstream recognition of Native artists and their ideas have resulted in substantial growth in the Native arts and culture sector. The leaders of Native arts and cultural organizations have been a significant force behind this change. They promote Native artists, encourage connections among them, nurture the cultural links that underlie artists’ creativity and commitments, stimulate field development, help manage market growth and open pathways to new opportunities.

In Native communities, they (and the artists they support) have yet another role: As culture bearers, they generate space for collective self-definition and tribal self-determination.

Resource Type
Citation

Jorgensen, Miriam, Rachel Starks. "Leadership Development in the Native Arts and Culture Sector." Ford Foundation. Native Nations Institute for Leadership, Management, and Policy, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, The University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. 2008. Report.

The Context and Meaning of Family Strengthening in Indian America

Year

This report presents five specific, field-based case studies of successful efforts to support the well-being of Native American children. These successful programs were conceived of, implemented by, and generally funded by Tribal communities. These programs include the Ya Ne Day ah School in Chickaloon Village, Alaska; the Whirling Thunder Wellness Program on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska; the Fond du Lac Foster Care Licensing and Placement Agency in Northern Minnesota; the Gila River Youth Council in Arizona; and the Menominee Community Center of Chicago.

Resource Type
Citation

Besaw, Amy, Joseph P. Kalt, Andre Lee, Jasmin Sethi, Julie Boatright Wilson, Marie Zemler. "The Context and Meaning of Family Strengthening in Indian American." Annie E. Casey Foundation. Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. August 2004. Report.

Archie Hendricks, Sr. Skilled Nursing Facility and Tohono O'odham Hospice

Year

For decades Tohono O’odham elders in need of skilled nursing had to move far away from family and friends to receive care, or stay home and forgo long-term care services. However, with the opening of the Archie Hendricks, Sr. Skilled Nursing Facility, O’odham elders can now remain in the community. Combining today’s latest technologies and world-class clinical care with traditional values, the nursing home has become one of the finest elder care facilities anywhere in the United States.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Archie Hendrick, Sr. Skilled Nursing Facility and Tohono O'odham Hospice." Honoring Nations: 2008 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2009. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Cherokee Language Revitalization Project

Year

In 2002, the Cherokee Nation carried out a survey of its population and found no fluent Cherokee speakers under the age of 40. The Cherokee Principal Chief declared a "state of emergency," and the Nation acted accordingly. With great focus and determination, it launched a multi-faceted initiative designed to revitalize the Cherokee language. Using state-of-the-art knowledge and language acquisition techniques, the Project includes a language immersion program for pre-school children, a university partnership degree program to certify Cherokee language teachers, and community language activities. The project preserves not just a language but a people–who see in their language the foundation of their own survival. 

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"The Cherokee Language Revitalization Project". Honoring Nations: 2005 Honoree. The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2006. Report.

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. 

Cherokee Nation History Course

Year

Launched in 2000, the Cherokee Nation History Course is a free, 40-hour, college-level study offered to 1,800 tribal employees and members of Cherokee communities. Through lectures, discussions, case exercises, and role-playing, the course teaches Cherokee history, culture, and government to both Indians and non-Indians. Designed to build social and professional cohesion and to share knowledge through Cherokee perspectives, the course is deepening understanding about Cherokee sovereignty while producing a stronger sense of nationality, patriotism, and pride.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

"Cherokee Nation History Course." Honoring Nations: 2002 Honoree. Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2003. Report. 

Permissions

This Honoring Nations report is featured on the Indigenous Governance Database with the permission of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.