Rooted Indigenous Core Values: Culturally Appropriate Curriculum and Methods for Civic Education Reflective of Native American Culture and Learning Styles

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the Navajo (Diné) K’e model and associated Indigenous and multitribal concepts that the Native American Community Academy (NACA) teachers, curriculum directors, instructional team members, programing mentors (aunties and uncles), community partners, staff, and school leaders draw from to inform how they design and implement curricula across grade levels and content. This practice guides the framework for culturally responsive curriculum at NACA and the inherent sovereignty of Native people by providing civic engagement and education through the lens of Indigeneity. K’e is a cornerstone of civic Indigenous education that is grounded in the core values of Native culture, Native way of life, and Indigenous knowledge. The fundamental idea is to restore relationships and harmony rather than to assign guilt and punishment. Students at NACA practice this restorative practice that reflects their Native, multitribal, and multicultural identities. This article is sectioned into four parts in order to resemble the sacred directions that drive the innate core values rooted in ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Indigenous perspectives as applied to civic engagement and education for children and youth in a multicultural society. It is also comprised of short student portraiture interviews with students and teachers and an overview of NACA-Inspired Schools across our network.

Notes

1 Only first names are used in examples of student introductions in their Native languages.