Abstract
This dissertation analyzes the impacts of culturally responsive teacher practice and the successes and challenges of implementing Indigenous pedagogies in pre-service teacher development, in-service teacher practice, and case study teacher professional development of Indigenous land-based education. This dissertation concludes by examining how varying levels of teacher practice can be places of engagement to support sovereign-affirming education and Indigenous pedagogies. This dissertation is presented as a three-article dissertation, with publications forthcoming.Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview: A historical sketch of Shoshone-Bannock education is provided as this dissertation pays specific attention to the nuances of Tribes as political nations who have treaty rights with the United States government and the complexities of building of sovereign-affirming educational practices. This author provides her positionality as an Indigenous Shoshone-Bannock researcher and the liminal spaces she navigates. Defined terminology is offered to the reader as a guide that is used throughout this dissertation.
Chapter 2 (Article 1 Overview): Explores the transformative work of River Newe, a Shoshone-Bannock family-led nonprofit. Through land-based education rooted in traditional homelands, River Newe challenges Eurocentric educational models and promotes Indigenous pedagogy. It integrates STEAM learning with community-driven approaches to address intergenerational trauma and barriers to equity. By reconnecting Tribal youth to ancestral lands and engaging them in digital storytelling, conservation, and cultural practices, River Newe empowers them to reclaim identity and language through a Shoshone-Bannock pedagogical framework.
Chapter 3 (Article 2 Overview): Presents a “Reports From the Field” that critically examines the persistent inadequacies in schools serving Indigenous and rural children. Drawing on two decades of experience, the authors explore how rural education can learn from Indigenous educational practices and confront enduring challenges on Tribal homelands. Using self-narrativization, they share counterstories and witnessings to expose systemic patterns of neglect and call on educators to “desettle” colonial logics embedded in educational institutions.
Chapter 4 (Article 3 Overview): This case study examines the Shoshone-Bannock site of the Cultivating Relationships Collaborative, focusing on how teachers apply Shoshone-Bannock Pedagogy in schools serving Native students. Following a year-long Indigenous Land-Based Education Certification, K–12 educators engaged in a research collective to reflect on sovereign-affirming teaching practices. Using decolonizing methodologies and participatory action research, the study analyzes how educators integrate land-based learning and Cultural Equity Literacy. Key findings include the roles of land and students as teachers, strategic negotiations within school systems, barriers to Indigenous education, and tensions between pedagogical frameworks.
Chapter 5 Conclusion: This dissertation will conclude with braiding connections to identified engagement zones present in each article, discussion of Shoshone-Bannock Pedagogy and Culturally Equity Literacy. A final reflecting is offered on varying points of teacher engagement in education and how safety zone theory, participatory contact zones and sovereignty zones are present in Indigenous education, providing suggestions and future implications for transformative work towards sovereign affirming teaching practice and recognizing nuances of Tribes as political nations who have treaty rights with the United States government.