Cultural Resilience: Native American Men and the Reclamation of Masculinity

Abstract

This chapter examines the intersection of settler colonialism, masculinity, and Native American student experiences in higher education through a decolonial and Indigenous-centered lens. Using the Native Resource Center (NRC) at San Diego State University as a case study, the chapter demonstrates how Indigenous critical praxis can be applied to combat cultural erasure, support Native male identity formation, and restore relational understandings of masculinity. Drawing on Tribal Critical Race Theory, storytelling methodology, and deconstructivist perspectives, this work highlights how historical disruption of Indigenous gender roles, such as through the boarding school era, continues to impact Native men in contemporary educational spaces. Through institutional initiatives such as the Elymash Yuuchaap Program, the Native American Men’s Initiatives Advisory Board (NAMIAB), and events like Orange Shirt Day and the Indigenous Peoples Day: Week of Action, the NRC repositions healing, ceremony, and cultural education as essential components of student development. The chapter calls for the reimagining of student affairs practice, the need for Indigenous-specific masculinity studies, and the integration of relational, community-based approaches to support the success and well-being of Native students.