Sovereignty and Scholarship: Mohawk Self-Determination in Mainstream Schooling

Abstract

Research has suggested that mainstream schooling and teachers are often disconnected from the language, culture, and approaches to learning that facilitate Native students' achievement in school. As a result, many mainstream teachers are unable to support the needs of their Native students. Through this action research study, mainstream teachers in an off-reservation school district were provided with experiences that moved them towards Mohawk cultural competency. A collaborative group of Mohawk and non-Native educators participated in the research. In order to examine and address the cultural disconnect between the Mohawk community and the school district, qualitative research methodologies were used. Findings suggest that Mohawk self-determination, including Native students' expressions of sovereignty, were dismissed within the mainstream schooling context, thus creating a barrier to Native students' school achievement.