For many years American Society seemed to feel that all institutional and cultural development of the United States came directly from Western European historical tradition. The greater society lost much of the enrichment and perspective that comes from the acceptance of a cultural pluralism that includes American Indian contributions in society and cultural development. With the growth of the concept of cultural pluralism, however, the Indian community has undertaken programs and activities to preserve the further understanding of their cultures. Attention has been directed to the inadequacy of many textbooks in dealing with American Indian history and culture; efforts have been made to remove educational materials prejudicial to Indian culture. Other projects have sought to preserve the languages, legends, customs, and histories of various tribes. Cultural materials programs that might still evolve include publications on original histories and research on values systems, studies on Indian governments and legal systems, recordings of Indian languages, preservation of Indian oral literature, and changes in instructional and curriculum materials to accurately reflect Indian culture. In addition to describing efforts to preserve the Indian cultures and to promote understanding of them, this document traces the concept of cultural pluralism and its application in American Indian education and discusses the types of curriculum changes necessary to help the two cultures educate each other. (DS)