Commentary: Leading a fulfilled life as an indigenous academic

Abstract

Indigenous women who pursue advanced degrees in higher education often find their careers there as well. If they land a position as an academic, they face numerous opportunities and challenges. These range from serving as the single face of diversity within their academic homes to trying to balance responsibilities to their tribal communities while constructing a life as a researcher and educator. Still, it is possible to return to indigenous ways of living life to find an ultimate balance, a cycle that can logically follow Cajete's (1994) action cycle of being, asking, seeking, making, having, sharing, and celebrating. This commentary introduces my life story as an American Indian academic educated and employed away from my tribal homeland and involved in creating a network of indigenous colleagues from around the world. My life lessons are both satisfying and challenging, leading to personal fulfillment tied to service and teaching.

Keywords

achievement cultural models higher education self

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Breinig

(2003). Doing everything and nothing: A first-year experience. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 103–112.

Cajete

(1994). Look to the mountain: An ecology of indigenous education. Durango, CO: Kivaki Press.

Calhoun

J. A.

(2003). “It's just a social obligation. You could say ‘no'!”: Cultural and religious barriers of American Indian faculty in the academy. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 132–154.

Fox

M. J. T.

(2005). Voices from within: Native American faculty and staff on campus. New Directions for Student Services, 109, 49–59.

Fryberg

S. A.

, & Stephens

N. M.

(2010). When the world is colorblind, American Indians are invisible: A diversity science approach. Psychological Inquiry, 21, 115–119.

Jaime

A. M.

(2003). A room without a view from within the ivory tower. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 252–263.

Mackey

(2011). Identity and research: Exploring themes of scholarship of an American Indian scholar in the academy. In Gaetane

J.-M.

, & Lloyd-Jones

(Eds.), Women of color in higher education: Turbulent past, promising future (pp. 291–305). Bingley, UK: Emerald.

McClellan

G. S.

, Fox

M. J. T.

, & Lowe

S. C.

(2005). Where we have been: A history of Native American higher education. New Directions for Student Services, 109, 7–15.

Mihesuah

D. A.

(2003). Activism and apathy: The prices we pay for both. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 325–332.

10.

Miranda

D. A.

(2003). What's wrong with a little fantasy? Storytelling from the (still) ivory tower. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 333–348.

11.

Patel

(2014, May 27). Why so few American Indians earn Ph.D.'s and what colleges can do about it. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Why-So—American-Indians/146715/

12.

Pelletier

(2003). “So what are you…?”: Life as a mixed-blood in academia. American Indian Quarterly, 27(1-2), 369–372.

13.

Roy

(2005). Creating opportunities and opening doors: Mentoring students of color. In Wheeler

(Ed.), Unfinished business: Race, equity, and diversity in library and information science education (pp. 131–146). Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow.

14.

Roy

(2013). Who is Indigenous? In Roy

, & Frydman

(Eds.), Library services to indigenous populations: Case studies (pp. 4–11). Retrieved from http://www.ifla.org/publications/library-services-to-indigenous-populations-case-studies

15.

Sue

D. W.

, Rivera

D. P.

, Watkins

N. L.

, Kim

R. H.

, Kim

, & Williams

C. D.

(2011). Racial dialogues: Challenges faculty of color face in the classroom. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(3), 331–340.

16.

Swisher

K. G.

(2001). Solid ground: Comment on “Shifting sands: Reflections from the field of higher education.” Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 32(4), 502–506.