This article examines how economic pressures and political forces act to constrict First Nations' educational self-determination. It is a broad discussion exploring some recent history of how the ideology associated with economic development frames the language of educational possibility in tribal settings. As First Nations continue to create programs that celebrate and promote language and identity, they must negotiate cultural outcomes with agencies and institutions that control funding and accreditation. Proposing cross-border comparative studies and em­phasizing a research focus on the recent past, this article examines how local cul­tural responsiveness was resisted by White institutional hegemony. It narrates the development of a teacher education program at a tribal college with implica­tions for future qualitative studies.