For at least the past two centuries, scientists, politicians, and academics have predicted the imminent and inevitable demise of Native American cultures. Rather than crumbling, indigenous cultures today are still many, varied, and showing new signs of revitalization. According to the most recent census data, population figures for Native Americans have reached pre-contact levels. However, there are still many challenges confronting indigenous peoples in representing and organizing themselves.
The Voices of NAICCO project includes a digital archive of oral histories about members of the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio. The videotaped interviews address topics such as family, childhood, education, identity, and other issues of public concern. Although the digital archive draws connections to traditional approaches of collecting oral histories, it asks a fundamentally different set of questions by applying new methods and novel approaches. Constituting an intersection of perspectives and methods, it requires multiple individuals sharing their expertise. Thus, this project endeavors to enhance scholarship through collaborative knowledge building, interdisciplinary connections, and interactive collection development. The objective is to examine the dominant cultural attitudes and conflicting values as to what and who constitutes a Native American in the United States in the 21st century.