Volume 14 Summer 2003 Issue No. 4
On Campus
AIHEC Honors Sens. Burns and Conrad
The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) honored U.S. Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) at a reception on February 12 in Washington, DC. AIHEC President Dr. Jim Shanley thanked the senators for "putting away their partisanship" to support the tribal colleges and universities by forming a bipartisan caucus on their behalf in the Senate. Conrad has become known as an evangelist for the tribal colleges with private foundations, private corporations, the cabinet, and the president. Burns has supported the tribal colleges in Montana and nationwide, especially with the Departments of Interior and Agriculture and with telecommunications initiatives.
Dr. Jim Shanley praises Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) as several tribal college presidents watch (left to right): Elizabeth Yellowbird Demaray, Cassandra Manuelito Kerkvliet, Dr. Richard Littlebear, Dr. Don Day, Lenee Ross, Schuyler Houser, Dr. Bob Martin, and David Yarlott. Photo courtesy of Sen. Burns's office
John Fitzpatrick sang a Crow honor song for the senators. AIHEC and the colleges in Montana and North Dakota presented them with several gifts including coup sticks, Pendleton blankets, a star quilt, and art prints.
The February meeting of AIHEC also featured a federal relations symposium on Feb. 10, cosponsored by the White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities. Speakers addressed opportunities for tribal colleges and universities from the Departments of Interior, Education, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture; Indian Health Service; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Science Foundation; National Endowment for the Humanities; and National Endowment for the Arts. Tribal college representatives asked questions and explained their perspectives on how the agencies could be serving the colleges better.
During the symposium, AIHEC and the colleges thanked Jane Coulter of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Jane Stuttsman of the National Science Foundation for being advocates on behalf of the tribal colleges.
SWC Building Will Reflect Dakota Renaissance
by Pam Wynia
Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) has hired an architect to design new buildings on its Sisseton, SD, campus that will reflect the Dakota culture. For example, the vocational education building will be a two-story octagon resembling a large drum. Four of the sides will be flanked by three-story figures of drummers, representing the four directions. Dr. Bill Harjo LoneFight, SWC president since July 2002, said, "The new building will offer one of the largest open spaces in the area for gatherings, accommodating at least 300 dancers. When the figures are lit up at night, you will be able to see them for miles."While this may be the most visible evidence, the tribal college incorporates culture in more subtle ways as well. Chartered in 1979 by the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, the college is helping to usher in a renaissance for the Dakota people, according to LoneFight.
The personnel policies at Sisseton Wahpeton College (SWC) take into consideration the traditional values of kindness and reciprocity and allow one employee to give excess sick leave time to another employee. The SWC Student Senate has organized a group to help individual students if they are short on gas money or need help getting to class.
In addition to offering Dakota language and Dakota cultural classes, the faculty also incorporates traditional values and concepts into other classes. The Science Department has been using funds from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation to examine ways to infuse Dakota concepts into classes. A new class, Traditional Plants and Herbs, involves Dakota elders who take field trips with students to identify the plants in their natural environment. When working with the local tribal elementary schools, the SWC Extension program includes traditional Dakota foods.
Dakota elders play other important roles at the colleges. They teach classes, such as beading, star quilt making, and drumming, and evening speakers emphasize the traditions and history of Dakota people.
Elders who still speak Dakota fluently gather every Friday for a Dakota Immersion Luncheon. There is a discussion leader, and people are free to discuss any topic they wish, as long as they speak Dakota. This lunch program grew out of a SWC project about the 1862 Dakota conflict when the U.S. government held many Dakota people as prisoners of war. The prisoners had been taught to read and write Dakota by missionaries, and many corresponded with the missionaries from prison. Local elders are translating these letters, which tell the Dakota side of history. Since the Dakota language has changed over the past 100 years, the elders must sometimes discuss the context to determine a word's meaning.
SWC frequently honors students who have excelled with a drum group and a traditional prayer. Pictured are Denise Krueger, David Goette and Camille Green.
Retention Program Addresses Serious Issues
Each Thursday night students at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) gather for a candlelight dinner at the Healing Circle building on their campus in Santa Fe, NM. Everyone donates food. They pass an eagle feather, and as each one holds the feather, he or she talks about how the previous week went. Sometimes they talk about homesickness or problems in a class and sometimes about much more serious topics, such as alcohol or drugs recovery.The weekly dinner is part of a Native Circle Retention Program funded by a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Title 3). IAIA serves young artists and scholars, many of whom are first-generation college students facing many challenges. At present, the drop-out rate for Native American college students nationwide is almost twice that of non-Indians. IAIA wants to prepare its students for the demands and rewards of college life and college-level academic work.
When the program began, IAIA surveyed the students to determine what problems it needed to address and how students typically dealt with problems on their own. Eighty students completed the health surveys last year, which included standard health questions about vitamin supplements, height and weight, and family health history as well as questions about art and vehicular safety.
While some higher education institutions might prefer not to know the extent of serious problems on their campuses, IAIA wanted to design programs to match its students. It found that 33% of the respondents had a family history of substance abuse; 48% had a family history of violence; and 28% had considered attempting suicide. A Ph.D. psychologist analyzed the results and recommended what could be done. Another survey is planned on substance abuse and violence.
With its Native Circle Retention Program, IAIA is creating initiatives to not only increase retention by 4% annually but also reduce the rate of disciplinary incidents. Its goal is to reduce drug and alcohol abuse incidents by 50%. The institute has a fulltime counselor with a specialty in substance abuse at its Healing Circle building.
The institute requires each student to take a Native Foundations for College Success class. "I try to get them to understand on an emotional level why they are here - if they don't know what their goals are or if they are resisting, then it is hard to teach them," according to the instructor, Diane Reyna (Taos Pueblo). She includes academic and life skills, such as art safety, sexual safety, diversity, money management, stress management, and time management. For more information, see the website
Spotted Elk, whose Indian name is Vonahe Kase hehe (Ceremonial Woman), was one of several apprentices who participated in the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) grant program that began in February 2002. The purpose of the program is to get tribal members state certified to teach the language and to help them acquire teaching skills. Upon completion of the program, Spotted Elk came full circle and was hired as instructor for Cheyenne language at the tribal college in Lame Deer, MT, where she will be passing on to her students the learning methodology that she acquired as an apprentice.
Spotted Elk said, "I would like to express my humbly felt gratitude to the Cultural Affairs Department for enhancing and sparking up the almost dead Cheyenne language in me. Revitalizing our Cheyenne language must be a community effort. Since my completion of the program and becoming a Cheyenne language instructor at CDKC, my self-esteem, self-confidence, and pride have soared. Speaking my language fluently and hearing and using Cheyenne names on a daily basis is a tremendously healing experience for me. I plan to continue my education in early childhood, start a daycare or preschool center, and recruit fluent Cheyenne speakers as workers. I envision the center as my 'language nest,' where the youngest are the best candidates for optimal language acquisition.
"Completion of my goals will be my most humble way of thanking my ancestors for the suffering and sacrifices that they made for me. Their greatest reward will be young Cheyenne children speaking the sacred Cheyenne language. I also would like to thank my instructor, Marie Sanchez, for regenerating in me what I almost lost. Thanks also to my fellow Cheyenne language apprentices whose enthusiasm and commitment inspired me. Nehemahea seme (Much thanks and gratitude to everyone)."
Sharon D. Rathbun is the Chief Dull Knife College cultural affairs administrative assistant.
Guidance for the program comes from Tribal Extension Advisory Council (TEAC) with representation from Little Priest Tribal College, the Winnebago Tribal Council, the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, and other tribal youth programs.
The program focuses on character education to encourage trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Youth leadership training also includes personal development, career guidance, outreach and interchange, interpersonal skills, and global understanding. Program participants are introduced to lifelong learning skills, healthy lifestyles to preserve self-esteem and enhance problem solving, stress management, parent-teen communication, and exploration of science using the 4-H Wonderwise program as well as use of appropriate technology.
Programs are developed, adapted, and implemented with the help of the Tribal Extension Advisory Council to maintain cultural relevancy. Youth development programming integrates traditional Extension 4-H/Youth Development elements and traditional Tribal Youth Development. This innovative integrated approach is based on the five youth development education competency areas identified by Pittman (1991), including health and physical (body), personal and social (spiritual & cultural), cognitive and creative (mind), vocational (career and job), and citizenship (community). These competency areas are interwoven and integrated with tribal youth development curriculum and program areas.
Tom Sleigh's talks and writing workshops involved SKC students, faculty, and students from two local high schools. Participating students and teachers each received a free copy of his book, The Chain, in preparation for the workshop.
"When my instructor Shannon Reilley announced that a published writer was coming to visit, I was surprised and excited," said Melanie Strong, a 33-year-old mother of two and full-time SKC student. "He was just as excited to be in our class as I was to have him there. The whole visit was stimulating and I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to meet Tom Sleigh."
To celebrate the author's visit, SKC hosted a poetry reading at its new cultural center. The 25 men, women, and young people who attended were invited to read a poem or two of their own or favorite poems by other poets. The group formed a circle, and everyone participated by listening enthusiastically - and nearly everyone read poems. SKC English Instructor Woody Kipp also interviewed Sleigh on the college radio station.
"Everyone I met was hungry to talk, to tell you their story, to let you know what was important to them," said Sleigh. "I felt that what I was doing really mattered in a deep way. The power of literature came through clearly in the poems that the students wrote and read aloud." For more information, visit Meg Kearney is the National Book Foundation's associate director.
Upon completion of the program, students apply to The Registry for the Wisconsin Professional Credential for Infant and Toddler Caregivers. This program is recognized as a model in the nation. The students use portfolios to obtain their certificates, a requirement that also showcases the students' professional development.
Since the inception of the tribal Head Start programs nationwide several years ago, graduates have benefited from courses that focus on care and education of the preschool child, health and safety, parent education, and issues like public advocacy and community policy. Students are required to demonstrate their preparation in the settings of mentorships, field experience, and other real-world contexts.
Renee O'Kimosh, Head Start Partnership coordinator for CMN, said she looks forward to graduating another 10 students by the end of 2003. Many of the candidates are also completing associate degrees in Early Childhood Education. Her program has offered the credential for over three years and serves several surrounding communities. Those completing the credential in 2002 included Deana Brodhagen, Nanette Corn, Samantha Corn, Jill Engel, Jill Ermatinger, Stacey Hoeft, Cathleen Moesch, Carol Redkettle, Susann Schoen, Kathy Soman, Amanda Stoddart, Barb Warrington, Tonia Warrington, and Robin Waukau.
For more information on the Credential, call Renee O'Kimosh at (715) 799-5600 ext. 3075 or 1 (800) 567-2344.
UTTC has sponsored the pow wow near its campus in Bismarck, ND, for 32 years. Tens of thousands of people now participate in the renewal of tribal culture, competing in singing and dancing contests with thousands of dollars in prize money. The National Science Foundation funds Rural Systemic Initiatives, including Maier's, to integrate technology into math and science curricula.
Students began their Dancers and Data project by entering nine years of pow wow registration data into a FileMaker Pro database with fields for last name, first name, age group, dance category, year, gender, city, state or province, country, and tribal nation. Students, many of whom had no prior keyboard experience, took only 30 hours to make over 4,700 entries, which often involved reading problematic handwriting thus also teaching the value of good penmanship.
After data entry, students began asking questions: What ages are most of the dancers? Which is the most popular dance category? Where do people come from, and how far do they travel to get here? How many dancers have registered in each of the last nine years? Sixth graders learned to use data to answer their questions, export information into spreadsheets to design tables and charts, and then add graphics and photos to create a colorful slide show presentation.
Four months later, the students presented Dancers and Data publicly, fielding questions from the school board and sixth grade parents. They subsequently also presented the slide show to UTTC college president and deans, the pow wow committee, and at education conferences in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and around the region.
Jamie Higlin points out that in addition to covering every one of the math standards, her class won the monthly attendance award while working on the project. "The real life problem solving hit home and kept students motivated," Jamie said. During the 2002-2003 school year a new group of sixth graders is entering another year's pow wow data. They plan to produce public service radio announcements using their results. For more information on this project, contact Jen Janecek at jjanecek@uttc.edu or Jamie Higlin at jhiglin@yahoo.com.
"We're very excited to be part of this National Science and Technology Center," Andrew Wold, director of the Environmental Institute at FDLTCC, said. "We'll be working together and sharing information with some major national research institutions. Students will be directly involved with research projects."
The Earth Surface Dynamics project will study the natural processes contributing to the shape of the earth's surface as well as how humans have influenced the earth's surface and ecosystems.
"It's about figuring out how things work in a large river ecosystem, the impacts made by humans, and determining what types of restoration may be necessary," explained Wold. He said the St. Louis River Watch program at FDLTCC was one of the reasons the college was asked to join. Expanded research opportunities and equipment from the National Science Foundation grant will enhance the River Watch program and its study of large rivers and associated watersheds.
In addition to the National Science Foundation grant, the college's Environmental Institute has also received three recent grants totaling $280,000 for projects -- $50,000 from the USDA-Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CREES) for general programming efforts, $85,000 from USDA-CREES to support collaboration with local schools in research along the St. Louis River, and a Tribal College Research Grant for $150,000 to conduct a study with the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) and Fond du Lac Reservation Natural Resources division to monitor changes in wild rice lakes.
For more information, contact Andrew Wold, (218) 879-0867 or Tom Urbanski (218) 879-0820.
"Elders, traditional leaders and educators want relevant development of curriculum to deal with our rapid loss of language," said Narcisse Blood, coordinator of Kainai Studies. The community-based Kainai Studies program focuses on preserving the worldview contained in the language. The program has evolved over 20 years from Blackfoot Language Studies at the high school into a four-year Kainai Studies degree.
"Our Blackfoot cultural knowledge was passed down through traditional ways of parenting, through extended family and friends, and through the spiritual societies. Mainstream society taught irrelevant curriculum to our people; it was European centered and very self-serving," said Blood.
The goal of Kainai Studies is to teach, research, and find solutions to recent problems caused by the rapid changes in society. The program reinforces the proper view the ancestors had, which builds resilience in the people of Kainaiwa. The tribe has some very valuable resources in the elders who maintain their ways despite government attempts at assimilation.
For instance, in the course on Kainai Family Structure and Parenting the focus is on residential school experience's effect on contemporary Kainai families, including family violence and lack of parenting and coping skills. The course also covers traditional parenting practices, family structure, and other support structures. Student Anne Fox said she learned about abuse in the residential school system and found out that hers is the fifth generation affected by it.
"That is where we really lost our parenting skills. People used alcohol and drugs to cover the pain," she said. Students researched family history, and elders came into classroom, enabling students like Fox to ask questions about how it was in the past, about elders' residential school experiences, and how it is now. The students used healing circles and one-on-one healing sessions with their instructors. "The unique aspect of the course is that it is for Bloods and it is taught by Bloods," concluded Fox.
For more information on this program, and its successes in healing abuse encountered in Canadian Indian residential schools, contact Mary Weasel Fat at (403) 737-2400 or e-mail her at rccc_lib@hotmail.com.
So in spite of financial setbacks, Mindt began to resemble his own superhero as he faced financial setbacks and villains. He learned art programs on his own and has transformed Koda (which means "friendly" in Dakota) from a simple sketchpad drawing to a brightly colored 32-page comic book.
Recently Mindt shared the premiere edition of the Koda comic book with his own art students at Theodore Jamerson Elementary School on the United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) campus in Bismarck, ND, where Mindt is also pursuing another degree in art and marketing. "Koda The Warrior isn't your normal, ordinary comic book," said Mindt. "It's a cultural tool for educating and building tomorrow's leaders. Koda is a Native American superhero who gains strength and power by practicing and encouraging good values and servant leadership."
Mindt, a member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, added, "The comic book has been a real healing tool and learning experience, not only for me but for the children I teach. I will never give up on my dreams. And Koda The Warrior is certainly a dream come true, thanks to my dad." Copies are available for $4.50 at the Impact store, 324 E. Broadway Ave., Bismarck, ND 58504 or by contacting Mindt directly at (701) 471-6257 or via e-mail at kodathewarrior@yahoo.com.
Smokey McKinney, director of IDE@ and acting vice president of academic affairs, said, "We are in the experimental stage. The program has only been in place for about a year." McKinney, who created the IDE@ logo, said the funds from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation will create two computer classrooms each costing about $50,000, which are furnished with computers, cameras, monitors, microphones, and lecterns.
McKinney notes that "the classrooms at Haskell and local communities like the Prairie Band Potawatomi, about 35 miles northwest of the campus, can increase enrollment without adding to campus overcrowding, as well as accommodating students who are wary of leaving home and their way of life, allowing them to stay connected to their culture and receive a quality education."
The Tribal Student Technology program, run by trained students, provides technical support for labs around campus. "Mentoring and training is an integral part of the process," McKinney said of the student technology component. He said it is modeled on a similar program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Becky Welton, IDE@ extension program associate, added that one of the program's goals is "to provide Native youth with opportunities and positive activities. Six to 12 work-study positions will be available, and every student regardless of major will be considered for employment.
Danielle Kawkeka (Kickapoo) attends Haskell Indian Nations University. She is a 2001 graduate of The Freedom Forum's American Indian Journalism Institute. Article and photo courtesy of Reznet, The first forum was in New Zealand in 1999, hosted by the Maori Library and Information Workers' Association. The second forum was in Sweden hosted by the Sammi Library Association. During the second forum the delegates endorsed the proposition that indigenous librarians "need to send a clear and consistent message to library providers around the globe that library policies need to be strengthened so that they acknowledge the cultural needs of their native users." They urged librarians in all environments to follow the lead of the Alaska State Library.
At the third forum, 125 delegates and speakers from around the world will discuss issues relevant to indigenous librarians and the populations they serve. Moderated discussion groups will develop strategies for implementing the previous forum's goals. The deadline for registration is June 1, 2003. For additional information, consult the website 
Members of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Student Congress traveled to Washington, DC, in February to speak with their members of Congress about the value of tribal colleges. Pictured are (back row) Brandon Nurlow, Dwayne Bane, Rhonda Davis, Tate Haukaas, John LittleSky, and Gabrielle Tiomanipi; (middle row) Sheila Wetterling, Julian Manyhides, Linda White, Stephanie Laducer, Collen Kelly, Mechelle Crazy Thunder, Denise Krueger; and (front row) Eric Dumarce, Jessie McDonald, Nadine Vasquez, and Windy Whirlwindsoldier.
Language Teacher Found Learning to be Healing
By Sharon D. Rathbun
Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC) has announced the first graduate of its Northern Cheyenne Language Instructor Student Apprentice program, Adeline Spotted Elk. She received her Montana State Class Seven Language Certification in December 2002 and now can teach the Northern Cheyenne language to her tribe.
'Be Strong And Educate My Children'
Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) in Winnebago, NE, recently received an $85,000 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Extension Grant to encourage positive growth and development of Winnebago tribal youth ages 10-18 through skill building and experiential opportunities. In partnership with the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, LPTC announces the "Be Strong and Educate My Children" project, which reinforces cultural values while utilizing research-based youth development curriculum. The project also strengthens the school's role as a land grant college.
Indian Students Begin Telling Their Own Stories
by Meg Kearney
"It was amazing to see a group of young people, who initially appeared to be shy and unresponsive, transformed into a highly motivated gathering of engaged creative artists expressing themselves through their own writings," said Salish Kootenai College (SKC) Assistant Vice President Corwin Clairmont. Poet Tom Sleigh spent a week on the campus in Pablo, MT, sponsored by the National Book Foundation's "American Voices" program. The program brings authors to American Indian reservations across the country to talk about the writing life and encourage Indian peoples to write their own traditional and present-day stories. Funding for Sleigh's residency came from the National Endowment for the Arts, Michel Roux/the Grand Marnier Foundation, and the Lannan Foundation.
Early Childhood Graduates Named
The College of the Menominee Nation (CMN) in Keshena, WI, in collaboration with the Menominee Tribal Daycare program graduated the first 15 students in September 2002 from their Infant-Toddler Professional Credential program. This specialized training program provides instruction and support to the growing number of people who work with children from birth to three years of age and who want to provide quality childcare. CMN is one of 16 tribal colleges partnering with the American Indian Programs branch of the federal Head Start program to offer early childhood education programs.
Sixth Graders Research Pow Wow Dancers
The Dancers and Data project began after the United Tribes International Pow Wow in September 2001. Jen Janecek thought there must be a way to use all the information on the 1,700 singers and dancers in a learning project. Janecek, who directs the Rural Systemic Initiative at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), found a willing collaborator in Jamie Higlin, who teaches sixth grade at Theodore Jamerson Elementary School on the UTTC campus.
Students collected data on pow wow dancers such as these at the United Tribes International Pow Wow.
Fond du Lac Increasing Research Capacity
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) in Cloquet, MN, is joining hands with some of the most prestigious universities in America as part of a $19.3 million, five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. With Princeton University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the Science Museum of Minnesota, FDLTCC is developing a new National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics and receiving $237,000.
Kainai Studies Program Helps Heal Abuse
by Mary Weasel Fat
At Red Crow Community College in Cardston, Alberta, Canada, the newly established Diploma in Kainai Studies explores the tribal history; language; social and economic development; and cultural, spiritual, and artistic fundamentals. The program is designed to help the people regain control of the traditional ways of the Blackfoot First Nation.
Teacher Creates Native American Superhero
Mark Mindt didn't know how to transfer his freehand artwork for his mightiest of superheroes, Koda, onto a computer screen. He was going to give up, but his father, LaVern Mindt, kept telling him, "You know, Walt Disney had been turned down and felt like quitting, and look what that got him - Disneyland. You could have Koda-land."
"Koda the Warrior isn't your normal, ordinary comic book."
HINU Teams with Tribe to Offer Distance Ed
By Danielle Kawkeka
Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS, hopes to beef up enrollment with a new program that provides students on reservations and in cities with training and equipment to take classes at home and on-line instead of on campus. This distance education program, called IDE@, is funded in part by the nearby Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Haskell's new Institute of Distance Education also houses Tribal Student Technology and Extension programs.
Smokey McKinney said the distance ed classrooms will help increase enrollment without increasing overcrowding.
Librarians Plan Third International Forum
The American Indian Library Association (AILA) and the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) will host the Third International Indigenous Librarian's Forum in Santa Fe, NM, November 9-12, 2003.