U of I strengthens its relationship with area Native American tribes

A University of Idaho team is creating a transformative approach to solving complex natural resource and land use challenges by integrating STEM-based learning with the perspectives of Indigenous communities at the K-12 level.

“When we have teachers learning from members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources or at events at McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) to talk about water and land usage, they are better prepared to share Indigenous knowledge when they go back to teach,” said Shanny Spang Gion, a doctoral student at the College of Natural Resources.

The Center for Interdisciplinary Indigenous Research and Education (CIIRE) strengthens educational partnerships between U of I and its tribal nation partners by encouraging Native American K-12 students to not only think about attending college, but also to incorporate tribal knowledge into STEM-related disciplines.

“What we want to create is a hub of information, a knowledge base,” said Vanessa Anthony-Stevens, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences associate professor of social and cultural studies and co-principal investigator of CIIRE. “We want to bring diversity of thought to these discussions about the relationship between the land and its people.”

Creating the relationship

Partnering with Native American students begins with recruiting them to U of I. That’s where people like Dakota Kidder come in.

Kidder, program manager for U of I’s Tribal Nations Student Services, brings high school students to U of I through programs like Helping Orient Indian Students and Teachers into STEM (HOIST).

HOIST has relationships with area tribes, primarily the 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) tribes, and notifies their schools about U of I events. The MOU is an agreement between U of I and the affiliated tribes to strengthen the relationships between them and to improve the quality of educational services and opportunities provided to Native American students at U of I.

All high school students in the MOU tribes who have completed the ninth grade can join HOIST. Graduating seniors committed to attending U of I are also eligible to apply.

HOIST summer camps at MOSS are STEM-oriented. Events include science-based activities — classes, field trips and workshops — as well as cultural activities and leisure events to round out their experience.

“In HOIST applications, we specifically ask them about their interests related to STEM,” Kidder said. “We want them to think about what kinds of STEM activities they are interested in as it relates to their culture and how they might use that knowledge.”

To support this idea, instructors such as scholars in the Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities and Leadership in Education and STEM (CIRCLES) program serve as mentors for HOIST, showing ways Indigenous research addresses current social and environmental issues.

Another goal of HOIST is to show students the support available once they arrive, such as information about financial aid and scholarships, scholastic advising and adjusting to life away from home.

“We want to prepare them for life on campus and introduce them to people who will ultimately help them be successful once they get here,” she said.

Everyone contributes

Last summer, Cultivating Relationships (CR), an outreach and research-based project funded by the National Science Foundation, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe put on a five-week course for 70 Plummer area K-12 students.

CR’s mission is to partner K-12 teachers with tribal nations and U of I researchers to examine the relationships between people, place, lands, and waters through STEM learning. The program, led by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Departments of Education and Natural Resources, exposed the students to environmentally focused questions and the idea that information from tribal sources should be considered when trying to answer those questions.

One way Indigenous information is passed down is through storytelling from tribal elders, which was featured at the program.

“Storytelling from elders — knowledge holders — is very genuine,” said Spang Gion, a former tribal scholar with CR. “When students hear stories about land management, operational knowledge and values important to the tribe, they listen.”

The program also focused on establishing strong connections between teachers and students.

“It’s crucial for teachers to build that trust with their students,” Spang Gion said. “When we share stories about our land and about our water, we end up teaching each other and learning from each other about how to approach difficult questions.”

CIIRE, CR and other related programs aim to foster reciprocity between tribes and their communities, ensuring that the Indigenous knowledge tribes share benefits everyone, not just the tribes, Spang Gion said.

“We want to be intentional about starting, supporting and sustaining these relationships,” she said. “What we want to create is a space where we can ask questions and share stories which can lead us to possible solutions.”