| This interpretive study was conducted from the Navajo paradigm and grounded in the constructs of power and place as described by Vine Deloria, Jr. (Deloria & Wildcat, 2001). The elements of the Dine Education Philosophy were integrated into the design, data collection, data analysis and interpretation. These included nitsahakees [thinking and conceptualizing], nahata [planning], iina [life], and sihasin [assessing and reflecting].; The case study reports findings and interpretation using three methods and sources of information. My Navajo informants were three Navajo women in the photography/interview project, four focus groups with four graduates and ten family members, and thirty respondents to the survey questionnaire. The personal stories and experiences of these Navajo students were diverse. They came to NAU as recent high school graduates, returning students, or older students. Twenty-six of the case study participants had another family member who had attended or attended and graduated from a four-year college. There were eleven twenty-one year old students who were graduating with less than one-hundred thirty-five credit hours.; Overall, six themes emerged: (1) there was a maintenance of personal power through the "Holy Wind," (2) cultural identity, (3) maintenance of balance, (4) diverse pathways to graduation, (5) power and responsibility of family and relatives, and (6) prevalence of off-campus significant sites and places.; These Navajo students maintained their tribal identity through language, practice and behaviors. The students used behaviors associated with Protection Way and Beauty Way to maintain a balance. Sites and place such as the sacred mountain, recreational facilities and the library were reported as significant. Only eleven students lived on campus and the others live off-campus. They cited cost, privacy and living with families as reasons for moving off-campus. At graduation, forty-three percent of the participants did not have tribal scholarships. Seventy-three percent would like to return to the reservation or remain in northern Arizona for employment. |
