Indigepedia: Digital Decolonization - Living Histories of Native American People Indigenizing K-12 Curriculum in Washington State

Thesis (Ph.D.), American Studies, Washington State UniversityNative American peoples within the state of Washington have a unique relationship to their newly arrived non-Native neighbors. The power of formal education to shape the historical memory of all people within the state of Washington is important to understanding the digital project which has been undertaken by Native peoples after the passage of HB 1495 in the year 2005 that states that the school districts in Washington State are "encouraged to incorporate curricula about the history, culture, and government of the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe or tribes, so that students learn about the unique heritage and experience of their closest neighbors."This project will examine the idea of Native peoples' histories as "living histories"--not as artifacts from the past to be studied and learned about; rather, to have a comprehension of Native American tribal histories as being a history of the past and the future informing the current lived relationships between Native peoples and their non-Native neighbors. Additionally, this project will examine the ideas of an emplaced history and experience which can be shared with non-Natives so that students in the K-12 educational system can understand the unique relationship that has come about through the signing of treaties and the recognition of tribal peoples' sovereignty.Finally, it is hoped that this project can help to add to the vision and mission of those who are sharing tribal histories using digital technologies so as to help non-Natives to understand the shared landscape upon which they live and the hopeful creation of more responsible, respectful, reciprocal, and humbly participatory relationships between themselves and Native American peoples within the state of Washington. This project is a piece of that vision.American Studies, Washington State Universit