Considerations for Building a Prosperous and Self-Determining Osage Nation Through Education

Abstract

This case introduces the current educational leadership context found in the executive branch of the Osage Nation, which is experiencing an era of rapid growth in the wake of a constitutional reform effort in 2004 to 2006. Utilizing a specific narrative that puts an Osage educational leader in charge of developing a 10-year plan that will guide the development of an emerging Osage Nation Birth-12th grade school system, this case helps educational leaders consider the various dynamics associated with building schools and educational programming from the perspective of the Osage Nation executive branch.

Development of the Indigenous Health Toolkit

“…While storytelling wasn't explicitly used as a method of data collection, it was a critical part of developing the toolkit as we met and shared experiences, thoughts, and stories among Elders, administrators, clinicians, and community members (Hallett et al, 2017;Marin et al, 2020). Through efforts such as the collaboration of an Elder advisory board, we applied methods of Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination to empower patients and community members as decision-makers shaping the creation and tailoring of the toolkit (Brayboy & Castagno, 2009;RedCorn, 2020). Additionally, Indigenous enculturation (Castagno & Brayboy, 2008;Clark, 2020;McKinley et al, 2020;Windchief & Joseph, 2015) and Indigenous language (McCarty & Nicholas, 2014) were part of the process and the product of the toolkit.…”