A Look at Indigenous Agricultural Education in Oklahoma

• In Event: Rural And...: A Symposium on Intersectional Diversity in Rural Education Research

Abstract

Presentation Summary: With the extensive history of educational systems in the United States, working to assimilate Indigenous people, the concept of agricultural education in Indian Country is an entangled and dissonant relationship between Eurocentric and Indigenous worldviews. Indigenous peoples maintained highly developed agricultural systems prior to colonization. After colonization, Indigenous and European systems converged in a battle of power that lasted for centuries. Today, there are 573 federally recognized Native American tribes (Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2019) in the United States, 39 of those within the state of Oklahoma (Oklahoma Historical Society, n.d.), and agricultural education varies widely across all of these communities. This presentation looks at four Oklahoma tribal nations situated in rural Indian County: the Cherokee Nation, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Osage Nation, and Quapaw Nation. The presentation seeks to show the histories of these four Oklahoma tribal nations as it relates to the development of Indigenous specific agricultural education amidst a complex and entangled colonized system.

Objectives: 1) To understand the complex relationship between Indigenous and European systems as it relates to Indigenous agricultural education. 2) To understand the development of current Indigenous agricultural education systems. 3) To use the experiences of four Oklahoma based tribal nations to promote the development of future Indigenous agricultural education programs.

Theoretical perspectives or framework: The theoretical frameworks include TribalCrit (Daniels, 2011; Writer, 2008) and Osage ribbon work (Dennison, 2012; Author et al., 2018; RedCorn, 2016). TribalCrit offers the space to identify and understand the needs of Indigenous communities (Brayboy, 2005). Osage ribbon, a metaphor for entanglement, seeks to understand the complex educational systems within Indigenous communities (Dennison, 2012; Author et al., 2018; RedCorn, 2016). Further, Osage ribbon work offers a space to break down the complex systems and recreate Indigenous specific programs.

Method or mode of inquiry: The method of inquiry is a multiple case study.

Findings or substantiated conclusions: Data collection for this is planned for 2020-2021 academic year.

Significance of work: This work looks at four Oklahoma tribal nations to better understand how Eurocentric educational systems impact Indigenous communities as they create Indigenous specific agricultural education programs. This work creates a space for educators to reflect on and engage with Indigenous agricultural education programming within rural Indian Country.

Author

• Jann Hayman, Kansas State University