The Act of Claiming Higher Education as Indigenous Space: American Indian/Alaska Native Examples

This paper examines the concept of claiming postsecondary education as Indigenous space using curriculum, American Indian student services, and digital media. The intention of this manuscript is to address the disparities that are the result of assimilative educational practices in higher education for American Indians and Alaska Natives by employing theoretical strategies grounded in indigenous epistemologies and implementing practices used in creating Indigenous community within the context of higher education to improve student matriculation. American Indian/Alaska Native students can achieve success while maintaining cultural integrity by claiming educational space as their own, participating in American Indian Student Services programs, and sharing their survival tactics online, consequently taking ownership of their own educational experiences.