Western science largely controls what is learned, funded, studied, and published, yet few scientists are aware of the particular ontological, epistemological, and axiological assumptions that form the foundation of the Western scientific worldview. Western science is not universal, acultural, or objective, and only the privilege and power of colonialism allows scientists to believe otherwise. Indigenous peoples have their own ways of knowing founded on different philosophical assumptions and recognizing metaphysical phenomena and explanations that are reflexively rejected by Western science. Western science, particularly as practiced in the social sciences, can be a colonial endeavor in which some scientists reduce their human subjects to constituent components (e.g., genetics, languages, cultural practices), take what is valued, discard the remainder (especially anything of a metaphysical nature), and methodically move on to the next project often with little sense of responsibility for and largely oblivious to the negative effects. Indigenous peoples are stakeholders at every level in the manufacture and production of knowledge, especially knowledge about them or that otherwise affects them. As students, Indigenous peoples encounter obstacles in science education when they are forced to choose between respecting important cultural beliefs and participating in science classes and laboratories. As subjects of scientific research, they encounter obstacles when they are excluded from consulting on, participating in, and benefitting from scientific research. As students and researchers pursuing degrees, working, seeking funding, and/or publishing within the dominant Western system of knowledge production, they encounter obstacles when they are forced to work within the limiting framework of the dominant Western scientific paradigm. This dissertation seeks to make these barriers more visible, and calls for STEM practitioners, departments, and disciplines to recognize and remove them, and if not welcome then at least respect alternative worldviews and ways of knowing that could inform and extend Western peoples' understanding of and approach to the world. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]