Building upon the literature concerning racial microaggressions, this dissertation explores the following two questions: 1) How have themes of blood quantum, tokenism, invisibility, and cultural appropriation manifested within the educational experiences of Native American students? and 2) How have those experiences affected their sense of Native identity? I analyze stories from interviews with five participants who self-identify as Native American. Paramount to this work is an intentional desire-based lens adhering to Tribal Critical Race Theory’s tenet that stories are not separate from theory. More specifically, this work stipulates that “stories often are the guardians of cumulative knowledges that hold a place in the psyches of group members, memories of tradition, and reflections on power...one must be able to feel the stories” (Brayboy, 2005, pp. 429-430, 440). The five participants reflected in this dissertation provide palpable examples of how some Native students may come to experience microaggressions and how the intersectionality of their identities can affect and also be affected by those experiences. It is clear from their stories that microaggressions can shape-shift and fester hostile, unwelcoming environments for Native students as they navigate a social terrain where they are commonly tokenized yet rendered invisible. Findings illustrate how interconnected blood quantum, tokenism, invisibility, and cultural appropriation are to each other in their manifestation of racial microaggressions. Data clearly illuminate that the Native student experience is layered, complex, and deeply nuanced. Additionally, findings highlight an important intersection with white privilege for some Native students. The microaggressional experiences of these five Native individuals are not simply explained by terms like microinsults, microinvalidations, and microassaults. The layered nuances between each individual in this study illustrates that these experiences are more accurately described as aggressions towards their whole selves. As I consider new terminology for microaggressions, I draw a direct connection between microaggressions and what Patricia Williams (1991) first coined as “spirit murdering.” Williams describes spirit murdering as racism embodying “cultural obliteration and genocide as some of its other guises” (p. 73). Similarly, Bettina Love (2019) explains that spirit murdering robs us of our dignity and humanity and "leaves personal, psychological, and spiritual injuries" (p. 38). To that end, microaggressions carve away at a recipient's sense of validation, safety, and belonging. Pieces of one's sense of self are challenged and attacked when experiencing microaggressions. Whether it is a comment about one's phenotype, the cultural traditions held sacred, or our ancestor's historic trauma, microaggressions reduce the dignity and humanity experienced by the recipient. It is for this reason that I seek to name a more authentic, inclusive term for such suffering and distress of our spirit: psyche aggressions. It pays direct homage to Williams's (1991) notion of spirit murdering, refocuses the microaggressions back to the recipient rather than the perpetrator, and situates the totality of the experience using a holistic lens. The word "psyche" speaks to the soul, mind, spirit connection of each of our identities and names the holistic effects of microaggressions as affecting our whole self—not just pieces of us. This study opens up the conversation to carry the work forward with a call for continued deeper inquiry. The stories from this study will hopefully raise questions for fellow researchers, scholars, teachers, and community members in terms of how we can best support, empower, and sustain Native students.
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