Resistance Theory and the Transculturation Hypothesis

20Persistence for these American Indian students was extremely difficult. Whenrecounting these initial experiences, some students seemed surprised at their ownperseverance. One student from the Cheyenne River reservation exclaimed:It amazes me. I’m amazed I was able to hang on. I almost didn’t . . . I almost left, youknow, went back home . . . It was hard, boy!However, this endurance was crucial. It appears that one of the critical factors in theexperiences of transculturated students is that they remained on campus for a longerperiod of time compared to the estranged students. That is, enough time for atransformation to occur—a self-discovery.Stage Two: Self-DiscoveryIf culturally traditional American Indian students could endure the pangs of initialalienation, they arrived at a transculturation threshold. At this point most began torealize that they had not been snared in a web of assimilation, that they could competeacademically, and that they could interact with American Indians and non-Indians alike,all without loss to their cultural self-identity. In short, they came to realize that they hadnot lost their “Indianness” and yet they had survived academically.Thus, many of these students began introspection and made a most curiousdiscovery. Namely, the transcultured students came to realize they had succeededbecause they were American Indian and had not attempted to be anything else. Most ofthe transculturated students could relate a specific time in their academic career whenthey made a deliberate decision to push forward while utilizing their cultural heritage as20