Title: "Native Voices in Academe"

Featured in Living in the USA: Cultural Contexts for Reading and Writing

By William G. Tierney

Publishing Info: - New York: Allyn and Bacon, 1994.

Genre: Essay

Sub-genre: - Native American Lit.

Nationality: - American

Time Period: -20th Century / Contemporary

First read by Dr. Rearick -November 1997.

Rated:

Use: Expository Writing, ENG. 143G

Location: - Dr. Rearick's Office and MVNC Bookstore

Comments: Tierney examines the difficulties individuals from "marginalized" cultures goes through when entering a mainstream culture by concentrating on the experiences of Native Americans. He points out that Indian students often find their tribal culture at odds with their university culture. This concern has been mentioned even in Native American literature. The character Pumpkin from Susan Power's The Grass Dancer fears just before she enters college that the conflict between her tribal culture and her collegiate culture could lead to compromises which could cost her her very soul. Interesting, Tierney considers this especially Native American, and yet I am certain that any evangelical family who have sent their child to a secular school has felt similar concerns. In fact part of the reason the Nazarene denomination created its chain of colleges was to create havens of higher learning which also supported the evangelical culture during such important formative times as the college years.

Tierney begins his essay by noting that in his observation beyond the typical problems of "Lack of academic preparation or a feeling of loneliness at being away from home for the first time", there are also some "problems unique to Indian students" (367). Some of these are. . .

• . . .native beliefs about science that might conflict with what is taught in a biology class, or the feeling that one must return home for specific ceremonies even if it means a class must be missed or an exam skipped. Family obligations are paramount for most Indian students. (367)

Some Questions from this essay:

True or False:

1. _____ Evangelical Christians do not share any difficulties similar to Native Americans when attending a mainstream secular institution of higher learning..

2. _____ In his essay Tierney claims that Native American students must learn to handle the expectations of mainstream academics since it is unrealistic to expect any major change from within the institutions themselves.

3. _____ Tierney gives the example of one Native American student who was able to "make it" because a math teacher didn't give up on him even after he failed to come for extra help on his own.

3. _____ Because of low economics there are no tribal colleges on today's Native American reservations.

4. _____ Dr. Judy Antell (the first interview) notes that her original plans for her life were based on the empowering matriarchal quality of Native American thought.

Multiple Choice:

5. _____ Dr. Rearick noted in class that Native Americans do not follow the same logic process when answering questions that Angles do. Instead they use (A) emotion, (B) reverse logic, (C) stories, (D) inductive logic.