Native American/Indigenous Inclusion and Belonging

Many people learned much of what they think about Native Americans from representations that present Native and Indigenous peoples in problematic and inaccurate ways. Extensive research examining common portrayals of Native Americans (e.g., sports team mascots), which often present them as “of the past,” or as “noble warriors” or “savages,” demonstrates that these representations promote harmful stereotypes and render Native Americans invisible in modern society. The experience of being either invisible or represented primarily or exclusively in stereotypical ways has negative consequences for Native American students’ psychological well-being, educational achievement, and sense of belonging in higher education settings.

It is important to be aware of how Native Americans are commonly portrayed, because these depictions shape how people will approach creating and implementing a land acknowledgement and the necessary supporting actions that accompany it. For example, a dominant misconception is that Native Americans live mostly or exclusively on tribal land. In fact, the majority of Native Americans live in urban or suburban communities. Taking our local context as an example, Chicago is home to one of the largest urban Native American communities in the United States. In order to recognize and partner with Native Americans and Indigenous peoples, which is a best practice in creating reciprocal relationships and land acknowledgements, it is important to begin with a shared understanding of Native Americans and Indigenous peoples as contributing members of our UIC and Chicago communities. It is imperative that we commit to learning about the history of Chicago as Native American homelands and the many ways that colonialism has shaped and continues to affect Native American survival, sovereignty, and ways of life across the United States. Finally, as we are part of a land grant university system, we must also educate ourselves about the theft of Native American land for the benefit of public higher education institutions and our unique responsibility to support Native American communities.

Many people who are not familiar with Native American and Indigenous issues struggle to find a place to start their learning. To provide an overview of some important context and issues relevant to Native Americans, which are highly relevant to considerations related to land acknowledgements and beyond, we created a two-part audio series to accompany the launch of “Acknowledge” is a Verb. These episodes and transcripts for each are linked below. In the sections below the episode links, we provide links to additional resources to help you explore the issues we discuss and topics extending beyond those we were able to cover in our conversations.

We will update this page with new information to continue to educate our campus community about Native American and Indigenous peoples, important issues they are facing, and how our campus is responding to meet the needs of Native American and Indigenous members of our UIC community and beyond.

Native American Support Program-  https://nasp.uic.edu/

Odehmenan Health Equity Center – https://vcha.uic.edu/units/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/odehmenan-health-equity-center/

Counseling Center- https://counseling.uic.edu

Wellness Center- https://wellnesscenter.uic.edu/about-us/

Campus Advocacy Network- https://can.uic.edu/about-us/vision-and-mission/

Resources for Undocumented Students- https://dream.uic.edu

Student Leadership and Student Engagement- https://dream.uic.edu

Women’s Leadership Resource Center- https://wlrc.uic.edu/about-us/

Law School Counseling Center- https://counseling.uic.edu

Tutoring- https://tutoring.uic.edu/tutoring-by-program/

UIC Basic Needs Insecurity Resources: https://dos.uic.edu/basic-needs-insecurity/

UIC Food & Nutrition Resources: https://dos.uic.edu/news-stories/food-nutrition-resources/

Explore Student Organizations https://uic.campusgroups.com/web_app?id=24796&menu_id=84827&if=0&

• Native American and Indigenous Student Organization (NAISO)
• Indigenous Student Graduate Association

In-state tuition offered for all Native American undergraduate students:https://today.uic.edu/uic-to-offer-in-state-tuition-to-students-from-any-of-the-573-tribal-nations-in-us/

College of Medicine extends the campus in-state tuition policy to Native American medical students: https://medicine.uic.edu/university-of-illinois-college-of-medicine-to-offer-in-state-tuition-for-native-american-students/

Identity Based Scholarships – https://scholarships.uic.edu/scholarships/external-scholarships/ethnicity-andor-nationality/

Office of Financial Aid – https://financialaid.uic.edu/

Undergraduate

American Indian College Fund- (https://collegefund.org/students/scholarships/)

American Indian Graduate Center (https://www.aigcs.org)

Administration for Native Americans – (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/about)

American Indian/Native American Scholarships  – https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-type/minority-scholarships/american-indian-native-american-scholarships/

Society of Indian Psychologists – https://www.nativepsychs.org/

Native Forward Scholarships – https://www.nativeforward.org/about-us/

Udall Undergraduate Scholarship https://www.udall.gov/ourprograms/scholarship/scholarship.aspx

American Indian Association of Illinois – https://www.chicago-american-indian-edu.org/

NDN Collective- https://grants.ndncollective.org/

Native Americans in Philanthropy Youth Grantmakers Fund: ​​https://nativephilanthropy.org/nyg/

Native American Journalists Association: https://najanewsroom.com/native-american-journalism-fellowship/

Society for American Archaeology Native American Scholarships: https://www.saa.org/career-practice/Scholarships-and-Grants/native-american-scholarships-fund

American Indian Education Fund Undergraduate Scholarship: https://pwnaonline.thinkific.com/courses/2023-aief-undergraduate-scholarship-application

Catching the Dream- https://catchingthedream.org/

Association of American Indian Affairs- https://www.indian-affairs.org/nativescholarship.html

Graduate and Post-Graduate training and grants

Native Children’s Research Exchange Scholars Program (Graduate and postdoctoral): https://coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu/research-and-practice/centers-programs/caianh/training/ncre-scholars-program

Indigenous Wellness Research Institute: http://iwri.org/research-area/research-training/

American Philosophical Society, Phillips Fund for Native American Research:https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/phillips-fund-native-american-research

American Philosophical Society, Native American Scholars Initiative: https://www.amphilsoc.org/native-american-scholars-initiative

Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, LIFT Early Career Support for Native Artists: https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/programs/lift

Bush Foundation, Bush Fellowship: https://www.bushfoundation.org/bush-fellowship

Native American Journalists Association: https://najanewsroom.com/native-american-journalism-fellowship/

Society for American Archaeology Native American Scholarships: https://www.saa.org/career-practice/Scholarships-and-Grants/native-american-scholarships-fund

Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Fellowship: https://naisa.org/journal-nais/nais-fellowship/

American Indian Education Fund Graduate Scholarship: https://pwnaonline.thinkific.com/courses/2023-aief-graduate-scholarship-application

Society for Indian Psychologists: https://www.nativepsychs.org/

Association of American Indian Physicians: https://www.aaip.org/

Advancing Indigenous People in STEM – https://conference.aises.org/

Native Americans in Higher Education: https://www.nativeamericansinhighered.com/

Advancing Chicano/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science: https://www.sacnas.org/

American Indian Higher Education Consortium: http://www.aihec.org/index.html

National Indian Education Association: https://www.niea.org/

American Indian Science and Engineering Society- https://www.aises.org/students/scholarships

Society of Women Engineers- http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/scholarships/

American Indian Education Fund: http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aief_home

American Indian Center – https://aicchicago.org/

Chi-Nations Youth Council- https://chinations.org/

Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative – https://chicagoaicc.com/

American Indian Association of Illinois https://www.chicago-american-indian-edu.org/chicago-american-indian-university-education/About-American-Indian-Association-Illinois.html

American Indian Health Service of Chicago – https://aihschgo.org/

Eastern Woodlands Office of Native American Programs – https://www.hud.gov/ewonap

Midwest Soarring Foundation – https://www.midwestsoarring.org/

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian – https://mitchellmuseum.org/

Newberry Library, D’ Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies – https://www.newberry.org/research/research-centers/mcnickle-center

St. Kateri Center of Chicago – https://www.stkatericenterchicago.org/

Trickster Art Gallery – https://www.tricksterculturalcenter.org/

California Indian Manpower Consortium – http://www.cimcinc.org/

Native American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois – https://www.nacc-il.org/

Indigenous Tribes of Chicago – https://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/diversity/chicago-indigenous

Land-Grab Universities Project – https://www.hcn.org/issues/52.4/indigenous-affairs-education-land-grab-universities

Native tribes have lost 99% of their land in the United States

Colonialism and Chicago – https://settlercolonialcityproject.org/

Local News Coverage – “We’re Still Here”: Chicago’s Native American Community

The Native American Task Force Report (Released in spring 2021) provides an overview of the history of Native American student support at UIC, current issues, and recommendations for action. Marking the 50th year anniversary of the Native American Support Program (NASP) at UIC, the Task Force was formed in 2019 to address the question: What is the status of Native Americans on the UIC campus? Equipped with identifying strengths, challenges, and areas of improvement, the goal was one of building an optimal learning environment for Indigenous students. We hope that the UIC community will use this report to understand and address the gaps in Native support that exist at this institution and increase efforts in strengthening and deepening the relationship between the University and Native communities, leading to a path where UIC can become a leader in the advancement of Native visibility and voice.

Media coverage of the report

The report, “Adversity and Resiliency for Chicago’s First: The State of Racial Justice for American Indian Chicagoans,” was created in 2019 by UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP). The report includes sections written by several Native American academics and professionals living in Chicago and details important issues affecting Native Americans locally. It provides critical information on Native history and current presence in Chicago to reveal systemic injustices. This collaborative effort brings to light Chicago’s history of racial exclusion in order to promote transformation of our city, including at UIC, into a more equitable environment for all citizens.

History

• Chicago Native people identified and developed important infrastructure and resources that would one day enable a thriving metropolis.
• Many of today’s major thoroughfares and train lines follow the pathways originally created by Native Americans navigating the areas vast marshlands and swamps.
• Today, over 100 Tribal Nations are represented by Native Americans in Chicago.
• Native Americans are misunderstood as people from the distant past.
• We must understand the long history of genocide and displacement while recognizing the manner in which Native Americans have persisted, live, make meaning, struggle, survive, and create.

Focus Areas

• Population
  • Chicago represents the largest population of urban Native Americans in the Midwest
• Housing
  • Half of Native Americans in Chicago are rent-burdened- paying more than 30% of their income in rent
  • Housing discrimination for Native Americans exists in the form of being almost twice as likely to be denied a home loan as whites
• (Mis)Representations of American Indians in Popular Culture
  • U.S culture depicts Native Americans as historical figures, erasing their importance as active members and contributors to contemporary society
  • Research reveals that Native American imagery in sports, such as the Chicago Blackhawks logo, fosters negative cultural biases that increase discrimination
• Education
  • Native American are less likely than whites to have a college degree
  • Wage increases associated with a college degree are lower for Native Americnas compared to all other racial/ethnic groups in Chicago
  • Over 1,000 Native Americans are presently enrolled in Chicago Public Schools  (CPS)
• Economics
  • Native Americans in Chicago have higher levels of unemployment and lower median household income than whites
  • Native Americans are paid 20% less than similarly positioned whites in Chicago. This racial wealth gap is similar to Black residents
• Justice
  • Adult incarceration rate for Native Americans in Chicago much higher than whites
  • Women incarceration rate in Illinois is much higher for Native Americans than for women in all other racial/ethnic groups

IRRPP houses this and all of their reports related to the state of racial justice for local communities of color on their website.

Decolonization is not a metaphor  – Eve Tuck (Unangax̂) and K. Wayne Yang

Indigenous List of 10 Ways to Practice Self Care

Are you planning on doing a land acknowledgement? By Debbie Reese (Námbe Pueblo)

“I regret it”. Hayden King on writing Land Acknowledgments meant to honor Indigenous people but too often do the opposite.

The Northwestern University land acknowledgement webpage has an explanation for what a Land Acknowledgement is and links to additional information.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/15/1160204144/indigenous-land-acknowledgments

Most Native Americans live in cities , not reservations. Here are their stories 

Native tribes have lost 99% of their land in the United States

Exposing How U.S Universities Profited From Indigenous Land

Indigenous Tribes of Chicago

“We’re Still Here”: Chicago’s Native American Community

Land-Grab Universities Project

Colonialism and Chicago

Local News Coverage: “We’re Still Here”: Chicago’s Native American Community

All My Relations is a podcast created and hosted by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples. Episodes cover a variety of issues affecting Native and Indigenous communities.

This Land is a podcast written and hosted by Rebecca Nagle, Citizen of the Cherokee Nation. This podcast examines contemporary issues affecting Native American tribal sovereignty.

Coffee and Quaq podcast: #Truthsgiving

Coffee and Quaq podcast: Decolonization

Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples – Linda Tuhiwai-Smith (Māori)

When Uŋalaqłiq Danced: Stories of Strength, Suppression & Hope – Ayyu Qassataq (Iñupiaq)

First Alaskans Institute webpage

Indigenizing Education in Alaska with Professor Graham Smith Māori – discussion on development of the Māori education movement in New Zealand

Indigenous Self-Determination Over Education – Conscientization dialogue with Professor Graham Smith (Māori) and Bentham Ohia ((Māori)

Stop Talking: Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in 

Indigenizing Education in Alaska with Professor Graham Smith Māori – discussion on development of the Māori education movement in New Zealand

Indigenous Self-Determination Over Education – Conscientization dialogue with Professor Graham Smith (Māori) and Bentham Ohia ((Māori)

Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies – Renee Linklater

Native American and Indigenous Studies at Penn

Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools (Indigenous and Decolonizing Studies in Education) – Leilani Sabzalian (Sugpiaq)

Decolonizing Research:  Indigenous Storytelling as Methodology, ed. Archibald, Lee-Morgan, De Santalo; foreword by Linda Smith

Education Indigenous to Place:  Western Science Meets Native Reality  Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, Ray Barnhardt

First Nations and Higher Education:  The Four R’s – Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility V. Kirkness and R. Barnhardt

Alaska Native Cultures and Issues:  Responses to Frequently Asked Questions. Ed. L. Roderick

“With a Vision Beyond Our Immediate Needs:  Oral Traditions in an Age of Literacy,” Elsie Mather