Living Curriculum and Enduring Traditions: Exploring the Pedagogy of the Lipan Apache (Ndé) Powwow

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Enacting Curriculum Praxis in Varied Spaces (Table 10)

Abstract

This ethnographic study explores the Lipan Apache (Ndé) Tribe of Texas powwow as a curriculum of culture and a pedagogy of place, focusing on how culture is preserved and transformed. Integrating insider and outsider perspectives, it combines my experiences as a tribal member and dancer with academic research. Utilizing Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) and Place-Based Education (PBE), the study highlights the importance of local cultural heritage. Methodologies include participant observation, informal interviews, and 13 formal semi-structured interviews around the 2024 powwow. The primary research question addresses how the powwow serves as a curriculum and pedagogy for preserving and transmitting cultural knowledge and practices.

Author

• Ashley S. Leal, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley