Empirical Recommendations to Help Broaden Native American Participation in the Geosciences

Participation of Native Americans in the geoscience community remains limited in spite of the oft-cited environmentally based nature of Indigenous cultures and lifeways, and the potential contribution of Indigenous ways of knowing to the global scientific enterprise. Multiple sociocultural and socioeconomic forces are at play here; some are now better understood through research, and not all are amenable to interventions by geoscientists. After two decades of professional and familial ties to the largest Native American nation, this geoscientist recommends these approaches to the problem: (1) Mitigate cultural discontinuity between worldviews with meaningful integration of relevant content and pedagogy into geoscience curricula for Native American students. This is best done by peer collaboration among Indigenous and mainstream scholars, ideally within or in close association with Tribal Colleges. The nature and level of possible incorporation range from the use of place-based and locally relevant geological examples and environmental case studies to socioculturally appropriate use of Indigenous pedagogy and traditional knowledge. Our 16-year experiment with Tsé na alkaah (Diné/Navajo ethnogeology) in formal and informal learning is cautiously offered as a template for this approach. It has drawn approval from cultural experts and interest from Diné teachers, but has yet to be widely disseminated or expanded upon by practitioners. (2) Nurture research infrastructure and expertise in situ, through partnerships that bring funding and collaborators to Native American students and educators on their lands and address Earth system problems of local significance and interest. Again, Tribal Colleges are particularly appropriate venues for such interaction. Research questions in Earth surface and climate change, hydrogeology, and energy are appropriate and timely for Native nations and funding agencies. Investigators should propose more projects that bring universities and labs to Native students and faculty, not vice versa. (3) Promote geoscience literacy and enthusiasm for teaching geoscience among Native American K-14 educators. Socioeconomic influences that deter many bright Native students from far-flung academic or industry careers make teaching an attractive professional option. Programs that enhance geoscience literacy for pre-service and in-service Native American teachers constitute a longer-term investment in diversity and a more practical response to the realities of Indian country.