VOLUME IX FALL 1997 NUMBER 2

Photo by Ken Blackbird. Photo at Fort Belknap Reservation

On Campus

NWIC to offer bachelor's in teaching

In response to the shortage of Native Americans teachers, Northwest Indian College (NWIC) has created a bachelor's degree program to prepare teachers. The degree is funded with a four-year $819,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It was created in partnership with Western Washington University and Washington State University.

Dr. Jeffrey Hamley will direct the program. Hamley, a mamber of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe, came to NWIC from Harvard University where he directed the Native American Program and lectured in the graduate school of education. NWIC President Bob Lorence said, "We think this will lead to an increased percentage of Native Americans finishing high school." 

This will be the first bachelor's degree offered by the tribal college in Bellingham, Wash. The college plans to also develop a four-year degree program in environmental science and technology. The college received a multi-year $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to provide the initial two-year environmental technology program. The environmental science program is being developed by NWIC in collaboration with Western Washington University, Evergreen State College, Mesa State College, Dine' College, and Partners for Environmental Technology. 

Bay Mills nursing program approved

The Michigan State Board of Nursing has granted Bay Mills Community College authority to begin a practical nursing program at its campus in Brimley, Mich. The program has two stages, according to Carol Franklin, RN, BSN, the director of nursing education at the tribal college. Five courses in pre-nursing are required. Afterwards, students must be accepted for the nursing program, which is three semesters long.

The curriculum will include cultural considerations, such as herbal medicines. Each semester, students will get hands-on experience in a variety of health care settings, including long-term care homes, hospitals, and home health, according to an article in Win Awenen Nisitotung. Students will graduate with a Practical Nursing Certificate that could lead to a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

Canadians form own education consortium

The First Nations Adult and Higher Education Consortium was formed last June by eight tribal community colleges and adult education programs in Canada. (Canadians use "First Nations" instead of American Indian or Native.) The mission statement emphasizes the members' determination to exercise sovereignty over education and to focus upon culture. 

Many of its goals resemble those of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). It will provide unity, monitor and develop legislation and educational policies, and provide training and technical assistance. Membership is limited to learning institutions established by and controlled by First Nations people. The mission statement says, "It is an inherent right of each person to achieve a sense of self-realization within the context of his/her cultural understanding."

Red Crow Community College in Alberta, one of the founding members of the new consortium, is also a member of AIHEC. The college will continue to participate in both national organizations, according to Red Crow President Marie Smallface Marule. Copies of the mission statement can be obtained from the Treaty 7 Tribal Council offices in Alberta at (403) 258-1775. 

Montana colleges launch learning lodge

The seven tribal colleges in Montana received a four year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish the Learning Lodge Institute. The institute is designed to strengthen tribal college curriculum in language, culture, and land and particularly to increase fluency in Native languages. 

The four year budget for the ambitious project is $850,000. It was inspired largely by the dwindling number of Native language speakers on each of the seven reservations. Today, 10 tribal langauges and the Northern Plains sign language are spoken. However, on the Blackfeet Reservation, for example, 20 percent of the speakers died within one year. This prompted the honorary Council of Elders of the college to intensify their efforts to retain the language. On the Fort Belknap Reservation, there are only 13 fluent Assiniboine speakers, most of whom are over 65. Even on the Crow Reservation, where 85 percent of the adults are fluent, only about one-third of the children are fluent.

While each college had been working on language preservation in small ways, the new institute will make it possible for them to expand their efforts and to share research, strategies, and methods with one another. It is designed to strengthen tribal ways of knowing by utilizing traditional educational methods and by involving several generations. Each project must be tied directly to existing courses--not only language courses but also courses such as astronomy, forestry, health and wellness, and sociology. 

The project expects to share its benefits by providing a language revitalization list serve, publishing a quarterly newsletter, organizing summer gatherings for faculty and students, and producing a video letter. Dr. Janine Pease-Pretty on Top, president of Little Big Horn College, spearheaded the institute proposal. She says, "So often, we are restricted by grantors. This project invests faith in local judgment." Kellogg's planning efforts to design the Native American Higher Education Initiative involved tribal colleges and others involved in American Indian higher education. The initiative provided a grant category for language, culture, and land.

IAIA receives $1.5 million grant

The Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico has been awarded a grant of $1.5 million from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The three-year grant will support IAIA Museum's programs and activities. The project will help IAIA capitalize on its cultural diversity by making the museum a community learning center, according to IAIA President Beatrice Rivas Sanchez. Museum Director Fred Nahwooksy (Comanche) says the grant will enhance the museum's efforts to improve the public's understanding of Indian art and culture.

The museum was founded in 1971 to support the overall philosophy of the Institute of American Indian Arts, a two-year fine arts college. The museum's goals are to facilitate the educational studies and training mission of the institute and to collect, care for, research. and exhibit the artwork of the students, taculty, and alumni. The museum also seeks to collect, care for, and exhibit artwork by other indigenous artists so the collections will be a National Collection of Contemporary Indian Art. More than 70,000 visitors are expected to visit the museum this year.

Turtle Mountain starts research center

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently awarded Turtle Mountain Community College a grant of $553,629 to develop the Center for New Growth and Economic Development on its campus in Belcourt, N.D. The center is designed to help improve the social and economic conditions of the tribe and surrounding communities.

The center will develop ways to consoliate data and make it available in useful formats while at the same time teaching students about research. Students will learn how to collect data, collate, analyze, and communicate research results. In order for the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe to sustain economic and social competitiveness, it needs access to solid data to use in planning, proposal development, and testimony to Congress.

Lyle Poitra, Turtle Mountain Community College institutional developer, said the center will provide structured training opportunities for the next generation of tribal leaders. The four-year grant is part of Phase II of Kellogg's $22 million Native American Higher Education Initiative (see TCJ, Spring 1997, pp.40-41). The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 to "help people help themselves through the practical applicaton of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations."

Blackfeet building new campus

Blackfeet Community College has developed a five-year master plan for building its campus in Browning, Mont. The college now consists of donated and renovated buidings that cannot accomodate the expanding student body. With the changes, Blackfeet College will be able to offer a real college atmosphere. Under the plan, the college will construct a classroom/ student union building, an administration/ office building, a cultural/ art center, an agriculture center, an events center, and outreach centers in five surrounding communities.

The first phase features a 20,000-square foot culturally appropriate building that utilizes materials and concepts unique to the area, according to Dean of Student Services Bob Tailfeathers. The new structure will include a student and community commons area, modeled after a traditional Blackfeet lodge. The classroom/office building will be oriented toward the east, which is important for cultural reasons. A cultural gathering area is planned outside of the Blackfeet Studies area in the new classroom building. In addition, the design includes a covered arbor structure for teaching and cultural activities.

The four phases of the plan also include relocating and refurbishing some existing structures and eliminating others. The plans result from a community effort and will utilize homegrown resources, labor, and expertise.

"The incorporation of old and new symbolizes the respect we have for the past as we ride into the 21st century," says Carol Tatsey-Murray, president of the college for the past six years. The improvements are funded in part by students and staff, who pay into a building fund. Settlement funds from a past environmental problem and donations are also being utilized. 

Homepage receives national attention

Sisseton Wahpeton Community College (SWCC) is located on the Lake Traverse Reservation in an isolated corner of South Dakota. Its website, however, has been visited by tens of thousands of visitors from around the world, including scores of tribal members who have lived off the reservation for many years. The National Museum of the American Indian recently invited the college's web coordinator Darren Renville to New York City to showcase the college's website (www.swcc.cc.sd.us).

The home page features links to the popular Dakota Language Homepage, which was originally developed at SWCC. The page offers several lessons and suggestions for teaching methods, including associating color with words. The college has also created a page for the Sisseton Wahpeton tribe and offers links to the tribal school, tribal newspaper, and the Tribal College Journal homepage. The culture link provides excerpts from a tribal history. The site is enlivened by artwork by JoAnne Bird and Paul War Cloud. 

Future plans include a link to a SWCC student homepage featuring a web version of the student newspaper and other activities of the SWCC Student Senate. A link to a library services homepage is under construction with suggested reading and frequenty asked questions. Also planned are a chat room, a bulletin board, and an administration/ faculty homepage featuring individual staff members.

SIPI plans science building

The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in New Mexico kicked off its plans for a $5 million science building at a rally in July. The rally featured Lou Gallegos, the chief of staff for New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and a former Assistant Secretary of Interior. 

The science building is key to SIPI's continued community college accreditation. SIPI, which currently uses two modular buildings as science laboratories, hopes to have the science building finalized by the year 2000. This coincides with the SIPI Board of Regents 1991 landmark plan, "SIPI 2000," which was the impetus for guiding the college toward advanced technical training. Anticipated sources of funds include the New Mexico Legislature, federal partners, individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors, according to the strategic plan for the building. 

Grants support Cheyenne language instructions

With the help of a Philip Morris grant, Dull Knife Memorial College in Montana was able to offer courses to enhance the teaching skills of teachers of the Cheyenne language. A survey course on educational issues and a oral language teaching approach (Total Physical Response) were completed by 20 students.

Dull Knife Memorial College instructor Dr. Richard Littlebear tells the language teachers that language lessons should be fun. Pictured (from left to right) are: Victoria Seminole, Bertha Limberhand, Mabel Kills Night, and Florence Whiteman. Photo by John Warner

Thanks to an extension oaths Philip Morris grant, another course will be offered this fall Additional grants from the W. K Kellogg Foundation and the Administration far Native Americans will enable Dull Knife to expand its teacher education and to continue enhancing the skills and professionalism of Cheyenne language teachers.

Fort Belknap researches culture sites

Students and faculty at Fort Belknap College in Montana are working with community members to research, document, and inventory the location of important cultural and ethnobotanical sites on the reservation. The project involves state-of-the-art GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information System) technology. "Weaving Traditions and Technology in Natural Resource Education" is a one year project funded with $50,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through its Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Services.

Fort Belknap College has also received funds to study water quality. The college is collaborating with the Fort Belknap Community Council and Island Mountain Protectors on the project funded by an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice grant. A nearby gold mine has caused water quality concerns on the reservation. The grant provides $275,000 over two years to develop analytical laboratory facilities, train students in monitoring methods, establish a local water quality data clearinghouse, and provide community education programs on water issues

Fort Peck builds history website

A computer applications instructor at Fort Peck Community College in Montana recently teamed up with a tribal elder to create an innovative web page on tribal history. Roxann Bighorn, the instructor; James Turning Bear, the elder, and Irvin Rising Sun traveled to Montana State University on a fellowship to learn how to do HTML programing (the coding used for web pages on the Internet). Funding in part was provided by a National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant.

Using resources collected by Turning Bear and by the Fort Peck Tribal archives, they built a tribal history page that incorporates both oral history and written sources, including some information that had been only handwritten before (www.montana.edu/wwwfpcc/tribes/index.html). The page includes a map of historic bison range, a map of battles, Sisseton and Wahpeton enrollment rolls, a roster of Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendents at Fort Peck, a timeline, and notes from interviews about the local impact of the federal government's prohibition on Indian dancing.

Bighorn (Assiniboine-Sisseton Yankton Sioux) has a masters in Computers in Education from Lesley College. She is a graduate of Fort Peck Community College. She refers to Turning Bear as a "medicine bundle." While he didn't understand the technology, he found it very intriguing, she says. Their long term goal is to build a multi-media CD-ROM on the history of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and their languages. She plans to teach her students how to build pages, too.

Teachers develop navigation curriculum

Teachers and tribal elders traveled to California last summer to work on curriculum related to historic navigation as well as space travel. The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) teamed up with the All Nations Alliance for Minority Participation (ANAMP) for the pilot project. The educators are developing American Indian-related curriculum in math, science, and technologies relevant to navigation. The two weeks in California included in-service teacher education. 

The NASA Ambassador Program is intended to disseminate the K-12 navigational curriculum to Indian communities nationwide. Native students will be reconnected to their historical cultures and presented with future research opportunities. Indigenous cultures contain historical navigation sciences that will be incorporated into the curriculum. ANAMP is a non-profit organization funded by the National Science Foundation that involves 24 tribal colleges and 32 universities. It is based at Salish Kootenai College in Montana.

OLC awarded Kellogg money

Oglala Lakota College will receive two W. K Kellogg Foundation grants totaling $350,000 under the foundations Native American Higher Education Initiative The first grant is an award of $100,000 for four years to strengthen the OLC Developmeilt Office. It will also provide OLC with seed money to increase their fundraising capabilities in private donation, corporate grants, and federal and state foundations.

The second grant to be awarded is for $250,000 for the first year to help the development of the Education Administrations Guidance and Counseling, and Human Service Administration under the master's degree program in Lakota Leadership. If successful in the first year, the college will be provided with $500,000 for the next three years The master's degree in Lakota Leadership will be offered to four other Lakota colleges in South Dakota through articulation agreements under the grant. Both the University of South Dakota and Chadron State College will enter a collaborative agreement with OLC to develop the curriculm and provide the instructors.

UTTC to administer bison education project

Ten tribal colleges in Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota will soon be offering bison education and management support programs through a regional intercollegiate project based in Bismalck, N. D.

With a $650,000 Native American Higher Education Initiative grant award from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, United Tribes Technical College will network Indian colleges, Indian tribes, and bison industry organisations tp coordinate reservation-based bison education and research under its new Northern Plains Bison Education program.

Coordinators will begin collaborating this fall to develop and offer short course, vocational, and two-year degree programs with a bison management emphasis. Other project components will include student field trips and internships, cultural institutes, community education and outreach, and technical assistance for both Indian and non-lndiall bison producers.

"This project will use education bridges to reconnect Native people with their relatives of the Buffalo Nation," said Phil Baird (Sicangu Lakota), associate director of UTTC's new office of tribal land grant college programs.

The participating colleges include Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Cheyenne River Community College, Fort Berthold Comillunily College, Oglala Lakota College. Sinte Gleska University, Sitting Bull College. Sisseton-Wahpeton Community College, Little Priest Cominullity College, United Tribes Technical College, and Lower Brule Community College.