This case-study research focused on the role of multiple literacies in the lives of Lakota and Dakota (Sioux) young adolescents who lived and attended school in a predominately White, rural community in the upper Midwest. In addition to examining the participants' uses of reading and writing, this study explored the ways in which the participants constructed meaning through music, dance, and art. Also studied was the influence of multiple cultures - American Indian culture, school culture, and mainstream popular culture - on the adolescents' transactions with literacy. Data were collected both in and out of school over a period of 7 months. Primary collection techniques included participant observation and fieldnotes; interviews with the participants and their parents, peers, teachers, and administrators; and examination of artifacts. The findings of this study indicate that literacy supported important personal and social needs in the lives of the adolescents. Specifically, through literacy, they explored and expressed their sense of identity and examined critical issues related to prejudice, racism, and discrimination.
Numerous questions remain as to the different ways persons experience literacy and illiteracy. How often is literacy defined in relation to illiteracy? How often does it actually signify academic literacy? How do diverse individuals become literate in an inequitable world? - Maxine Greene (1991, p. 129)
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