Native American studies: A place of community

Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico in the USA aims to practice a pedagogy of community, which facilitates students' engagement and contribution to community. I first examine Native American Studies' growth in the USA toward nurturing a collective and intellectual learning community. Then, I share students' viewpoints to demonstrate how Native American Studies practices a pedagogy of community. Students exhibit critical Indigenous consciousness, which is the embodiment of perspectives beyond individualistic goals and places the significance of their education on community well-being. Students also display an inward gaze, a necessity for implementing a pedagogy of community. An inward gaze is a critical examination of our communities and how they might be perpetuating the hegemonic, oppressive, and assimilationist conditions under which colonialism has placed them. Practicing a pedagogy of community is about community sustainability.