My dissertation examines the intersections of Native American literature and science fiction, paying particular attention to the ways that Indigenous worldviews and the concerns of Native communities are first expressed through and then alter the conventional generic tropes of science fiction. I argue that, by adapting these genre conventions and rewriting them from Indigenous perspectives, Native writers depict the difficulty of being recognized as human without being culturally assimilated and create a productive space that reinforces the value of Indigenous cultures. My project examines Native science fiction as it initiates a conversation between Native American Studies and science fiction theory, illuminating both fields' treatment of identity and the Other. Native peoples share a history of European colonization and have thus experienced frequent encounters with alterity, moments of coming face to face with culturally distinct Others. In science fictional terms, we might refer to this moment as "the shock of dysrecognition," Philip K. Dick's phrase for the defining characteristic of science fiction. Individual works of science fiction may use an encounter with the Other as a metaphor for exploring human relationships and discovering similarities between groups, or they may make a genuine attempt to encounter an Other, to imagine something beyond their own comprehension. Many Native authors situate their science fiction novels as a response to these older discourses; they wish to have their humanity acknowledged, but they also wish to be respected as distinct peoples who have the right to be recognized as sovereign nations. My project helps to chart and understand a new direction in Native American literature, which has become more interested as of late in genre and the possibilities inherent in formal experimentation. Building on the foundations of first and second generation Native authors, several contemporary writers have begun to explore the academically ambiguous world of science fiction. Ultimately, my dissertation fills a gap in both disciplines by examining the ways that Native science fiction articulates and embodies two seemingly contradictory demands in a multicultural society: first, to recognize the Other as human, and second, to respect the Other's right to maintain a distinct culture and worldview.