Tumitchiat: Iñuqqaat aullarrisiatun iḷisaġviit = A new pathway: indigenous leadership in higher education

Abstract

After centuries of colonization and assimilation policies in education, Indigenous people across our world are making commitments to nurture the next generation of Indigenous leaders. One area of focus is on Indigenous leadership through various forms of Higher Education. This dissertation supports the need for Indigenous leadership programs that have a foundation in Indigenous ways of knowing and learning and suggests a definition of what Indigenous leadership embodies. Specific Indigenous leadership programs are described. Within the United States, tribal colleges are unique entities, but they share the same goals. These institutions create opportunities for hope and sustained Indigenous self-determination through their students, who are the next generation of Indigenous leaders. A broad review of tribal colleges is presented here. Then a particular tribal college, Iḷisaġvik College, located in Barrow, Alaska, is discussed in more detail. The research also illuminates circumstances at University of Hawai‘i (UH), a settler-colonial institution, that has recently decided to become a Native Hawaiian (NH) serving institution. How is this new responsibility viewed by UH’s Indigenous leaders? I conclude with an overview and syllabus for an Arctic Indigenous leadership program to be implemented at Iḷisaġvik College. The intent is to provide a path that others may use to create their own programs to meet their Indigenous communities’ needs.