Brought to Light: Constructive Indigenization in Tribal Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Copyright

2021

This study proposes the concept of Constructive Indigenization as a mechanism for observing and considering the contextual reality that exists in, around, and through the interactions between tribal sovereignty, nation-building, and decolonization, collectively. Using analysis from two case studies of the Navajo and Choctaw Nations, the authors consider Constructive Indigenization through a variety of Tribal responses to the COVID-19 crisis in “Indian Country” while also incorporating a social determinants of health (SDoH) framework to situate healthcare disparities of marginalized people and the responses of Indigenous/Native American Nations to the crisis.