Theses and Dissertations Collection

This narrative research explored place attachment as an aspect of identity through the perceptions of Native American undergraduate students. Six Native American undergraduate students aged 18-25 who are members or descendants of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, took photographs of places that had meaning for them and to which they felt attachment and created detailed narratives to explain their choices. Psychoanalytic, Indigenous and environmental theories were used to examine aspects of understanding identity, Native American identity, attachment to place and a sense of belonging. This study made clear that the perception of identity in these undergraduates and their connection to places that have meaning is complex, comprising of intimate choices made at the discretion of the individual, but influenced by cultural folkways, norms and mores. A critical aim of this study was to adopt Indigenous methodology throughout the process to prevent participating in the perpetuation of "othering" minority groups, as has been historically the case. By positioning the undergraduates as research collaborators throughout the production, design and analysis of the narratives, the intent was to empower them in the furtherance of decolonization.