Nuweetanuhkôs8ânuhshômun nuwshkus8eenune8unônak 'We are working together for our young ones'

Abstract

The participatory project described here is framed by the theories of Tribal Critical Race Theory and Red Pedagogy and describes a series of focus groups that included six Mashpee Wampanoag community members who used cultural values that they identified themselves to outline the educational needs of their Tribal youth in order to contribute to the process of developing a culturally-based strategic plan to serve Tribal students. The project was an act of self-determination for the participants who chose to commit to the work of making positive changes for the future of their community in a way that only they could as insiders in their community. Participants compiled a list of skills they felt were necessary to the health and success of their young people, separated into categories of "life skills," "academic skills" and "traditional skills." Also discussed are issues of insider research in Tribal communities, Indigenous connections land, Tribal identity, and aboriginal rights.