Realizing Indigenous Futurity in Higher Education: Stories from Indigenous Tribal Relations Administrators

Abstract

Higher education would not exist if not for the ongoing colonization of Indigenous peoples and land (Stein, as cited in Lee & Ahtone, 2020). As universities reckon with this legacy and seek to create better partnerships with Tribal Nations, positions are being created to address concerns and gaps in administration. There is little research about the experiences of Tribal Relations Administrators (TRAs) at non-Native Colleges and Universities (NNCUs), and how these roles serve as bridges between universities & Tribal Nations. As present-day settler colonial policies and practices continue to invisiblize Native communities, TRAs are working to center the needs of Tribal Nations and Native communities, and this research highlights their experiences doing this work. The findings have implications for institutional policy and practices to provide guidance for the future of Tribal Relations positions.Rooted in Indigenous methodologies and guided by Tribal Critical Race Theory and Indigenous Community Planning, this research explores the experiences of TRAs and how their work serves as bridges and relationship builders between Tribal Nations and NNCUs. The findings of this study are presented as a Tribal Relations Administrators Community Plan focusing on 1) Identifying the Spaces of Caretaking & Power, 2) Building Bridges: Doing the Work, and 3) Future Moves: Contributions & Interventions. The findings center Indigenous knowledges and experiences to inform higher education administrators on how to develop sustainable and reciprocal relationships with Tribal Nations. This study shows how TRAs are resisting settler colonial logics, and enact Indigenous futurity and cultivate community based practices and policies in higher education.