WHEREAS, there are more than 300 unique languages spoken in the United States today with more than half of those languages spoken by members of different Native American tribes; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, Native languages are fundamental to Tribal nations, histories, cultures, and traditions and Native language instruction in educational and community settings is crucial to Native language revitalization; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, Native students, families, and communities continue to experience the devastating impacts and trauma of federally funded educational policies that were developed over 150 years ago, including individual loss of identity, low self- esteem, mental health and substance abuse issues, near destruction of extended family/kinship systems, loss of languages, loss of Tribal traditions and ceremonies, and weakened nations structure; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, LANDBACK is a reclamation of land and is a movement that has existed for generations with a legacy of organizing and sacrifice to get Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands, especially for cultural and place-based educational purposes and land-based schools; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, Native languages are at-risk of being destroyed due to the declining number of elders who speak their languages and are the gatekeepers of cultural knowledge; and as our indigenous languages are at-risk of being destroyed due to the declining number of elders who speak their native language and that hold the cultural knowledge; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, smudging, is a culturally appropriate and authentic response to stress, anxiety, fear, hurt, strengthening and building confidence and recognized as such intertribally across the country; i.e. hospitals, courtrooms, and conferences; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, through its unique relationship with Native nations and tribes, the federal government has established programs and resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, residing on and off their reserved or non-reserved homelands; and
Read MoreWHEREAS, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a legal theory that points out systemic inequities in multiple domains such as real estate, law enforcement, provision of social services, health care and education (Bell, 1995; Delgado & Stefancic, 2017); and
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