4 Ways You Can Support Indigenous Self-Determination Today

By Dr. Michelle M. Jacob (Yakama)

I was honored to write an article, “Do You Know Where You Are? Bringing Indigenous Teaching Methods into the Classroom,” with Stephany RunningHawk Johnson and Deanna Chappell that was published in the Sociology of Race & Ethnicity. In our article, we invite readers to deeply consider on whose Indigenous homelands they live, work, and study. We critique the violence of settler colonialism that harms all of us and renders Indigenous peoples as vanished.

The subjugation and dispossession of Indigenous peoples is an ongoing process against which Indigenous Nations (and non-Indigenous allies) are constantly struggling. To those of you already engaged in this important work, I offer my gratitude and encouragement. To those who have not yet engaged, I thank you for reading this blogpost and invite you into this generative work today—as we collectively honor the past and envision futures rich with justice.

There is a place for everyone in the beautiful process of supporting Indigenous self-determination. I live and work in the context now known as the U.S., and this is the primary focus of my own work. Please use the examples I share as a starting point if you want to engage these same issues in a broader context. Readers of this blog, largely research and academic community members, are well-positioned to assist in Indigenous self-determination struggles.

Here are four ways you can support Indigenous self-determination today:

1.     Understand the Indigenous histories of the lands on which you live. Here is a helpful resource from Native Land Digital if you are just beginning.

2.     Support Indigenous-led programs and movements. Are you interested in Indigenous self-determination in education? Check out the Sapsik’ʷałá Program. Do you want to support Indigenous legal rights? Learn more about the Native American Rights Fund. Might you be passionate about environmental justice? Support Honor the Earth.

3.     Learn about decolonization. Maybe you can learn one definition today? We cite Waziyatawin and Yellow Bird’s definition on page 279 of our article. You can also engage a foundational text, Maori scholar Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s book, Decolonizing Methodologies.

4.     Be an advocate to affirm inherent rights of Indigenous Nations and support Tribal sovereignty. In the U.S., the recent Castro-Huerta Supreme Court decision undermines Tribal sovereignty. You can learn more by watching the Tribal Leaders Roundtable, recording courtesy of the National Congress of American Indians. If you work for or are affiliated with a state, you can take up the responsibility of educating your community while you affirm and support Tribal sovereignty. Here’s sample language I drafted and strengthened with the input of our Sapsik'ʷałá Program Tribal Advisory Council and program staff at my own state institution workplace on Kalapuya homeland; you may consider adapting it to your own workplace or educational institution:

Faculty, staff, students, and alumni in the Sapsik'ʷałá Program are dedicated to undoing legacies of settler colonial, racial, gender, and ecological violence in Oregon. We affirm the inherent rights of Indigenous Nations since time immemorial and we are committed to strengthening Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. We invite all people, and especially those affiliated with the State of Oregon, to join us in this crucially important work.*

*This statement was created in July 2022 as a way to model how state-affiliated programs can be in good relation with Indigenous Nations. Tribal sovereignty is often eroded by various levels of settler governments, including in the recent U.S. Supreme Court Castro-Huerta case. You may learn more about this issue on the National Congress of American Indians website.

Education is a process. Likewise, social justice work is ongoing. I invite all readers to join in the efforts to strengthen Indigenous self-determination. Doing so is a wonderful way to celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. In fact, we can celebrate the strength and beauty of Indigenous lands, peoples, and cultures every day.

Article Details:
Do You Know Where You Are? Bringing Indigenous Teaching Methods into the Classroom
Michelle M. Jacob, Stephany RunningHawk Johnson, Deanna Chappell
First Published January 19, 2021
DOI: 10.1177/2332649220983378
Sociology of Race & Ethnicity

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