NATIVE STUDENT FINANCIAL AID AS NATIVE NATION BUILDING: History, Politics, and Realities

In this chapter, the authors claim that financial aid for Native students contributes to Native nation-building capacity, and to develop this claim and analyze the historical, political, and societal factors impacting financial aid. They contextualize Native higher education history and aid within the dominant financial aid history to highlight intersecting factors often excluded from the financial aid discussion for Native students. Native student financial aid honors and acknowledges the exchange of Native land for the protection of Native peoples as cited in numerous treaty agreements between Native nations and the US government. By viewing financial aid for Native students as Native nation building, the peoples can see how the history of financial aid and educational initiatives impact students today. The authors concludes by offering recommendations to institutions of higher education and tribal nations to best serve Native students at the intersection of financial aid and college access and persistence.