First Advisor

Hannah Gosnell

Date of Award

Spring 6-15-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geography and University Honors

Department

Geography

Language

English

Subjects

Experiential learning, Nez Percé Indians -- Education, Cayuse Indians -- Education, Nez Percé Indians -- Interviews, Cayuse Indians -- Interviews

DOI

10.15760/honors.1377

Abstract

In our rapidly unraveling world, the re-centering of Indigenous ways of being and knowing is more important than ever. This re-centering is based in cultural revitalization and transmission within Indigenous communities, and these processes are intimately tied to relationship with Land. This writing describes the "doing" of an Indigenous-led experiential educational program for Nez Perce and Cayuse descended youth -- the Saqáanma School -- which was conducted via whitewater raft on pik'uunin (the Snake River) through saqáanpa (Hells Canyon) in July 2021. The complex exchanges between people, culture, and Land embodied in this project are examined through Barker and Pickerill's (2020) approach to 'doing' geographic research as a continuous, action-based "commitment to a place and people". 'Doing' geography differently manifests in this work through a unique mechanism, whitewater rafting, as well as participatory methods, centering of Indigenous ontologies, and consideration of the 'before' and 'after' of this project as one contribution to a long chain of past, present, and future labor spanning generations. My positionality and shifts in perspective, methodology, and research objective over the course of the investigation are also detailed. This writing illustrates one approach to 'doing' collaborative, culturally informed, and Land-based experiential learning, explores the successes and failures of our particular 'doing'-based approach, and critiques the ways in which it promotes and sustains Indigenous value systems.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/40280

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