American Indian students are among the most underrepresented groups in academe, and few of those who enter college finish. This book attempts to provide greater understanding of Native American experiences in higher education through analysis based on critical theory, focusing particularly on the recruitment and retention of Native Americans by postsecondary institutions. At least two stories are told about the challenges and obstacles that Native Americans face in college. The first story, told by traditional research, considers minority retention in higher education as a "problem" that has existed throughout academe's history. Traditional research, such as that of V. Tinto, focuses on student characteristics, the fit between student and institution, and the extent of student integration into the institution's academic and social life. In contrast, this book uses comparative case studies to provide multiple perspectives and to analyze the patterns of American Indian students' experience within the conceptual framework of critical ethnography. Over 200 interviews of students and staff were conducted at 10 postsecondary institutions (including 4 tribal colleges) with sizable Indian enrollments. The voices of Indian students speak of how the world of higher education appears to them, reflecting influences of family, culture, gender, and class on student experience. The final section analyzes the "culture of power" that exists in academe, discusses rituals of student empowerment, and offers suggestions for constructing alternative forms of authority and a culturally responsive pedagogy that empowers rather than disables. Appendix comments on methodology and praxis. Contains 157 references and author and subject indexes. (SV)