Volume XIII Winter 2001 Issue #2

ON CAMPUS

Learning Lodge recaptures power of language

The Learning Lodge Institute marked its fourth year with a camp in July high in the Big Horn Mountains near the Medicine Wheel in Wyoming. Created by seven tribal colleges in Montana with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the institute focuses on increasing fluency in the 11 Native languages used in the state.

Each year the institute hosts a summertime gathering to showcase the best practices of the seven tribal colleges (Blackfeet Community College, Dull Knife Memorial College, Fort Belknap College, Fort Peck Community College, Little Big Horn College, Salish Kootenai College, and Stone Child College). This year the event also featured a storytelling championship, which was won by Donna Howe, a Piegan Indian teaching on the Crow Reservation.

Outsiders usually focus upon the futility of saving Native languages, believing it is only a matter of time before they disappear. Indeed, the tribal colleges created the institute because of the dramatic loss of language in younger tribal members. For example, a contest was held on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation to identify the youngest Cheyenne speaker; the winner was 47 years old.

However, the tribes involved in the ambitious collaborative effort are doing more than documenting dying languages. They are producing speakers, according to Lanny Real Bird, Ed.D., director of the institute. The Montessori methods used on the Fort Peck Reservation are producing young elementary school-aged Dakota speakers. The Blackfeet have had great success at the tribal college and with community institutions such as the Piegan Institute, which has introduced 50 new fluent speakers into the culture.  Immersion methods on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations have given learners more time, experience, contact, and interaction with their languages, according to Real Bird, who is also one of the Crow teachers.

The language advocates would like to be doing more, of course. Johnny Arlee of Salish Kootenai College would like to work with students for more than 15 days out of the year, but he told the Denver Post that the language program has come a long way since the tribe initiated it in 1975.

The Kellogg-funded initiative allowed each tribe to utilize its own traditional educational structure and knowledge base. Some used oral tradition, and others used mentoring. Little Big Horn College teachers combined counseling with instruction to release the language that older speakers had "forgotten" due to shame induced by their boarding school experiences, Real Bird said. On the Rocky Boy Reservation, Cree elders documented the medicinal qualities of plants important to their culture.

"There is a tremendous need in these communities to continue the projects, research, and practices," Real Bird said. He hopes to raise funds to continue the Language Lodge Institute after the Kellogg funding ends this year.

"I believe it is very possible to save a language. It is not going to happen overnight. It could take 7-10 years for significant outcomes to be measured. My opinion is based on research on the Maori (New Zealand) and the Native Hawaiians. Their language immersion techniques took approximately 12 years to have a solid foundation and to gain momentum in the communities.... Yet we have developed good approaches that can be applied," he said.

Real Bird praised the language leaders on the various Montana reservations, who are also busy raising funds to continue the work: "Their hearts and dedication and their obligation is to perpetuate their Native language and cultural practices."

"It is assumed that when cultural changes and invasions affected American Indian nations, some practices and traditions were lost. In the view of Crow elders and other tribal elders, they were not," Real Bird said in his newsletter. "Just because a song may have been forgotten or a medicine bundle disposed of, the power is still dormant somewhere in the wind, water, earth, or fire.

"They come back alive in dreams and visions. What might be thought to be lost is somewhere in the network of high winds and clouds of atmosphere or the isolated mountain peaks across the land.... The power is still there," he said.


More than 180 people of all ages gathered in the Big Horn Mountains to share their enthusiasm and ideas for revitalizing Native languages. Photo by Lanny Real Bird

NBC's Brokaw helps OLC honor veterans

By Laura M. Dellinger

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) celebrated its 30-year anniversary by conferring degrees on one of the largest graduating classes in its history. The 146 graduates received their diplomas and eagle plumes during a ceremony that included Tom Brokaw of NBC Nightly News as keynote speaker. He told them that they were warriors for their tribe as much as their ancestors had been. The graduates' tools of battle are now higher education and other acquired job skills.

During the three-day graduation festivities, OLC also presented honorary diplomas to the Oglala Sioux Tribe's warriors who served in World War I and World War II. Not only were they honored with their own day of ceremony but also by a photograph display. The college sought out photographs of the men either in uniform or at the age when they served. The photos were restored, enlarged, and arranged into a circular display several feet high.

During the graduation ceremony, OLC announced the establishment of the Gerald One Feather Lakota Studies Faculty Endowment Fund in recognition of his dedication to the college. One Feather, one of OLC's principal founders, was a college classmate of Brokaw.

Brokaw expressed his respect for the Oglala people and their record of service to this country: "Those men who went off to fight that great war and save the world are a living reminder, not only of the greatness of their generation but of their people.... Consider their place in your history. When they answered the call of their country they were just two generations removed from the tragedy at Wounded Knee and the defeat of Custer at Little Bighorn."

"That's a stunning reminder of how swiftly history will change," Brokaw continued. "In less than 75 years, the great Lakota people went from being hunted and battling the American Army to fighting with it. Unfortunately that loyalty, that patriotism, those values are too seldom commented upon in the description of your culture."

"Let the Oglala tribe be known 50 years from now as ancestors of the greatest warriors and hunters but also as contemporaries of the best educated. Make college and a college degree the symbol of your success for a proud people, wiping out symbols of despair and surrender," Brokaw told the graduates.


Tom Brokaw joined in the procession at the OLC graduation. Photo by Laura Dellinger

Stone Child College building new campus

As the walls rise on the new campus for Stone Child College (SCC), the hopes and dreams of the students and faculty also climb. SCC President Steve Galbavy said the new campus "is a dream come true for the community at large" on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation in north central Montana. Although the college has needed a new campus for a long time, it was not possible until recently.

A new library will be located in a 12,800 square foot building, which he expects to be completed early in 2002. The cultural learning center should be completed by the end of November. A new academic building with offices, classrooms, and labs will be next, and it should be completed by 2003.

The library building is being built with $1.2 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Indian Community Development Block Grant and other sources, according to Galbavy.  The tribal government endorsed the college's plans for the library because it is the only community library on the Chippewa Cree reservation. The college library already plays an important role, providing research material and encouraging literacy. The closest library is 33 miles away in Havre, MT.

SCC Librarian Tracey Jilot radiates joy when she talks about their plans for the new library. Not only will they provide a separate area for tribal college students to study and to use computers, but they also plan a children's section to encourage reading. Almost every year, the college has sponsored a summer reading program, but this past summer there was not enough room to accommodate both tribal college students needing to study and children listening to stories. Jilot said they hope to have a media room.  "Now if a student misses a class, there's no place to watch a video or listen to an audio tape," she said. The new library is close to the new cultural center, which will have the tribal archives and other historical and cultural material.

The main building now used for offices and classrooms suffers from severe problems since it was built over a spring. The college inherited it after the tribe abandoned it. During Christmas break last year, Galbavy and his staff suddenly had to move the college business office because of flooding.  The president moved his office into the space, not wanting to inflict the moldy conditions on anyone else.

The college is raising money to complete the new campus, which is located between the communities of Box Elder and Rocky Boy, five miles from the present site. On Galbavy's wish list are a student union building, student housing, and a performing arts center.

Glenda Eagleman Wells, a student at Stone Child College, contributed to this article.


Springer Group Architects of Bozeman, MT designed the new library building.

Dull Knife accreditation reaffirmed

This fall, Dull Knife Memorial College (DKMC) celebrated three historic events: (1) the dedication and opening of the new cultural learning center, (2) the reaffirmation of accreditation by the Northwest Association-Commission on Colleges, and (3) the ceremonial changing of the name of the institution to Chief Dull Knife College. The celebration took place on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana on September 14.

Dr. Sandra Elman, executive director of the Northwest Association, sent a letter congratulating the college for having its accreditation reaffirmed. The commission commended the college for its "thoughtfully written" mission statement and for electing members to the board of directors who are "fostering a college-wide spirit of energy, hope, and vision for the future." The letter noted the faculty's and staff's "commitment to creating a nurturing environment that clearly contributes to the success of students they serve." The college's success in getting grants to initiate and successfully operate several outreach programs, including the recently funded Title III grant, was also mentioned. Especially noteworthy, according to the letter, are the college's efforts to perpetuate the language and culture of the Northern Cheyenne people.

Dr. Richard Littlebear, president of Chief Dull Knife College, recognized the outstanding teamwork of the board, faculty, staff, administration, and students in achieving this milestone for the college. The college was reviewed by a team of peers, utilizing the same standards of institutional assessment used for all colleges and universities in the Northwest. "Their insights will only make our college a stronger and more viable institution of higher education," Littlebear said.

The 3,000-square foot cultural learning center is part of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) national initiative to create repositories for art and culture at each member institution. Rocky Mountain Log Homes of Hamilton, MT, has donated the logs.  CTA Architects & Engineers of Billings, MT, assisted with design and construction, and CCM Construction, Billings, MT, was the general contractor. Littlebear expressed his gratitude, saying, "The wonderfully rich art, artifacts, and archives that our college has to offer will now be available for research and enjoyment."

The college's name was changed to "Chief Dull Knife College" to honor one of the Northern Cheyenne's most respected historical leaders, who fought overwhelming odds to maintain the sovereignty of the Cheyenne people.

Haskell uses cypress logs for cultural center

By Mary Pierpoint

A new cultural learning center at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS, will house the university's collection of archives and serve as a museum. The 6,000-square foot building will also include a research center and a visitor center. The center will be graced on the outside by a memorial wall to Native American veterans and a sculpture garden.

"To see this building go up at Haskell is a dream come true. We're making a big difference in Indian Country," said Gail Bruce, who initiated the cultural centers nationwide for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). Bruce, who is also one of the founders of the American Indian College Fund, said, "I had no idea what my dream was going to entail." Bruce envisions the cultural centers as a way for tribes to hold on to their rich cultures and to teach not only future generations of Indian people but also non-Indians. "It's a chance for tribal colleges to get their language back and preserve their culture and the identity of their people," Bruce said.

Bruce joined a large crowd who came to see the dream begin to turn into reality. The cultural center at Haskell is 24th of 29 other such structures being built at tribal colleges.  Haskell is the only one of the buildings to be made from cypress logs from Florida.

 

Because of the tie to Florida, Haskell officials wanted members of the Seminole Nation to help with the dedication. The logs originated near the home of the Seminole Nation, which has been very supportive of the project. The new building also received support from national corporations such as the Carrier Corporation, Sabatini & Associates, Harris Construction Company, Oliver Electric, and many others.

Haskell Archivist Bobbi Rahder said she is anxious for a climate-controlled place to store the valuable documents and pictures she has been compiling for the past several years that represent Haskell's past. In the past, former employees who didn't realize their significance threw many photographs and documents away.

The building is expected to be ready for occupancy this fall. The formal dedication is tentatively scheduled during the 2002 spring graduation.


Bobby Henry, a Seminole from Tampa, FL, blessed the Haskell Cultural Center & Museum to the four directions last summer during the log raising ceremony.
Photo by Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo

Librarians discover resources in Washington

Librarians and library technicians representing 22 tribal colleges and universities participated in the 8th Annual Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute in Washington, DC, July 9-13.  The National Agricultural Library hosted the institute, which is usually held at the Montana State University Libraries in Bozeman.

"This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of the tribal college librarians to be able to experience the wealth of information available to them in the Washington area," according to Kathy Kaya, librarian at MSU and founder of the institute. The week-long institute was launched by Chief Billy Redwing Tayac of the Piscataway Indian Nation, who led the participants in a traditional tobacco ceremony on the grounds of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, MD.

Experts from the area shared information on such diverse topics as the history of American Indian education at the Hampton Institute and the preservation of Native American traditional crops and germplasm.  Full-day workshops were held at the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration where the librarians discovered information resources to serve their faculty and students back home.

The librarians visited the Smithsonian Institution's cultural resource center, which is preserving many of the artifacts that will be relocated to the new National Museum of the American Indian building on the Washington Mall when construction is completed next year. At the Museum of American History and the National Library of Medicine, they saw demonstrations of new information technology advances.

The week ended with presentations by federal agency representatives who direct programs involved with Native American education and by leaders of national Native American organizations based in Washington. The institute was the largest in its history and gave the librarians an opportunity to develop key contacts at the various federal agencies. They also forged new friendships among the participants. The tribal college librarians have their own email list serve and share information regularly.


Institute participants study historic maps at the Library of Congress. Pictured (left to right):  Jani Costilla (cut off), Blackfeet Community College; Eva English, Fort Belknap College; Kathy Kaya, Montana State University; Clyde Henderson, Crownpoint Institute of Technology; Wally Rea, Leech Lake Tribal College; Lucinda Silvers, Annie Lewis, and Patrick Sandoval, all from Diné College; Yatty Fischer, Nebraska Indian Community College; and Jane Kirby, Sisseton Wahpeton Community College.

Diné Warriors score national upset in archery

By Foster Gorman (head coach) and Greg Redhouse (assistant coach).

Armed with muscle, a traditional sense of tribal warfare, and technologically modified weapons, Diné College (DC) continued its 27-year tradition of excellence in archery this year. The college archers surpassed some of the best collegiate programs in the nation at the 2001 U.S. Inter-collegiate Archery Championships (USIAC) in Austin, TX, last May.

Despite being a junior college, DC regularly defeats larger, well-known colleges and universities. After three days of competition, DC pulled ahead of 18 different teams and went on to compete in the final team-elimination rounds.  In the men's division, the tribal college team won third place by defeating Penn State University (PSU) by one point, making it the biggest upset of the tournament. The men's team included Winston Brown, Terrence Williams, and Sheldon Harvey, who scored in the bulls-eye to overcome PSU. Individually ranking in fifth place, Winston Brown was inducted into the "Top-ten All-American team."

In the women's division, the lady-Warriors (Roshelle Bekaye, Brenda Harrison, and Crystal Dedmen) earned a fourth seated spot in the nation. They demonstrated their endurance as a three-woman team by taking on larger teams that could alternate with fresh archers. This was the first year when the tribal college had one of the top women's teams. Roshelle Bekaye was honored as the "Best New Female Archer."  

Since 1974, DC archers have been the only Native American archers at the USIAC and have never finished lower than 10th in the nation.  More than 200 archers have passed through the tribal college archery program, and many have won recognition: state champions, U.S. Western Regional Champions, U.S. National Champions, Rookie of the Year awards, and All-American honors. Several have earned archery scholarships to four-year institutions. A non-Indian from Kentucky started the program at the tribal college in 1974.

D-QU celebrates acquisition of land

By Rick Heredia

For 30 years, D-Q University (DQ-U) has occupied 643 acres of land near Davis, CA, without holding the title. Consequently, the tribal college had to abide by restrictions that often hampered efforts to develop the land and fulfill the college's goals. 

But in April, that changed. D-QU reached the important milestone when the board of trustees acquired full title. Tribal college officials are happily considering what to do with the land. Currently, three-fourths of that land is leased to a local farmer, who grows various crops and raises cattle. Lease money provides scholarships for students, said Dr. Morgan Otis, Jr., president/CEO of D-QU. The land is home to a variety of wildlife, from jackrabbits to raptors. 

Otis, who helped found the tribal college during a takeover and occupation of the site in 1970, envisions building a communication center on the land, using computers to link the school with the state's reservations and rancherias. Ironically, the site was a U.S. Army communication center during the 1950s before the federal government deemed it surplus property in 1970. 

Otis said the college is considering building facilities to produce solar and wind energy, as well as a gas-fired co-generation plant. Otis also envisions erecting a building in the shape of a California Indian roundhouse that would house classrooms, administrative offices, dormitories, and schools of study, such as spirituality and science and engineering. Before any development can begin, funds have to be raised. The president said approximately $5 million would help get the construction started.

Selling the land is not an option, he said. The Deed Day celebration in April lasted for three days. It coincided with the tribal college's 30th anniversary. State officials presented a facsimile of the deed to Dave Risling, chairman of the 16-member board of trustees. The actual deed is on file with the state attorney general's office. 

More than 150 people-including Dr. David Wolf, executive director of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, which accredits D-QU- crowded into the school's UNESCO Room to witness the event. Jim Lamenti, a faculty member who helped coordinate the celebration, said, "There was a lot of whooping, hollering, and clapping." (For more information about the history of DQ-U, see TCJ, Vol. 7, N.4.)


D-QU Board of Trustees chairman Dave Risling celebrates Deed Day with Dr. Morgan G. Otic, Jr. D-QU president.

Diné College hosts diabetes research students

Amid the tinkle of sheep bells and the smell of sage brush and juniper trees, 16 Native American students representing 7 tribal colleges and 11 different tribes came together last summer to participate in a unique Diabetes Research Enhancement Program at Diné College in Tsaile, AZ.

Diabetes strikes nine percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives nationwide, and on some reservations it has reached epidemic proportions. Type II or adult-onset diabetes can be controlled, however, through lifestyle changes, according to Mark Bauer, Diné College math and science instructor and director of the program. 

Diné College has been involving students in diabetes research for several years. (See TCJ, Vol. 11, N. 1.) Working with their partners at the National Diabetes Prevention Center- Southwest (NDPC-SW), they have collaborated to develop a model program for students in diabetes prevention research. "The partners believe that Native American students are more likely to develop an interest in diabetes prevention research if nurtured in a culturally supportive atmosphere," Bauer said. 

The partners have two goals: 1) to provide research training and research experiences to Native American students and 2) to provide students with a firm grasp of the conceptual basis of traditional Native American life, particularly in the context of Western academia. In addition, the students gained new insights into diabetes and research and participated in fitness activities to promote their own wellness.

During the first three weeks, students gathered at Diné College's Tsaile campus to develop skills in research techniques. Instructors addressed topics such as public health, epidemiology, statistics, health promotion, disease prevention, and research methods. Then students were placed at one of the NDPC-SW partner locations to participate in a variety of ongoing diabetes prevention research projects, many involving Native patients. For example, one student went to a health center at Fairbanks, AK, and others went to distant tribal colleges. In September, seven of the students made presentations at the National Diabetes Prevention Center conference.

Diné College plans to repeat the Summer Research Enhancement Project next year. For more information, contact Dr. Mark Bauer (505) 368-3589 or email at <mcbauer @shiprock.ncc.cc.nm.us> or Alex Daniels, (505) 368-3553 or email at <adaniels@shiprock.ncc.cc.nm.us>. 


Diabetes research students included (front row): Carla Frank, Rosebud Dupree, Niche' Wellman, Nicole Laughing, Megan Villagomez, Nastassia Becenti, and Alan Natachu. Back row: Terry Crowl, Joshua Lucio, Gerald Failing, Mindona Blackweasel, Eulalia Lee-Smith, Adeline Spotted Elk, Stormy Hulit, Diandra Benally, Julia Roanhorse, Roxanne Peterman, Shirleen Phillips, and Mark Bauer.

SIPI runners win national championship

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) sent a team to the National Junior College Athletic Association competition in Levelland, TX, in June and came back with the marathon team title. This was SIPI's fourth championship, preceded by victories in 1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999 for the Bureau of Indian Affairs college in Albuquerque, NM.

The victory this year was especially remarkable because several of the SIPI runners were rookies. One of the school's runners, Jason King, 28, had been out of school for more than a decade. He had been an all-state runner at West Mesa High School in Albuquerque. Another student, Reuben James, had never run competitively until this year. Joey Franklin of Shiprock, a freshman, finished fourth overall. SIPI had four of the top 10 finishers: Franklin, King in sixth place, freshman Greg Concho of Acoma Pueblo, NM, in ninth place, and James in tenth place. 

James, a 21-year old from Chinle, AZ, told the West Side Journal that he had always been a recreational runner but never ran as part of a team. "I was born for running," he said. The SIPI coach is Mike Daney. 

First Nations head west... to Hawaii

by Mary Weasel Fat

Swaying palm trees and the temperate blue-green waters of the Hawaiian Islands greeted Canadian First Nations representatives last July when a group representing the First Nations Adult Higher Education Consortium participated in an educational/cultural exchange program. Red Crow Community College, the only Canadian member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), sent seven members, including board members, staff, faculty, and students.

The 10-day trip included cultural activities and tours to various points of interest on four islands: Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, and the big island of Hawaii. A group of 12 students from five colleges on the islands of Hawaii had visited Alberta the year before. Hosting the Canadians were representatives from various colleges of the Native Hawaiian Vocational Education Programs (NHVEP).

Lorelee Water Chief, career/guidance counselor at the Old Sun Community College, Siksika Nation, organized this year's exchange. "The group was treated to various cultural events including learning how to prepare native Hawaiian food and seeing first hand how the food is cooked in a luau, picking taro plants, visiting salt and fish ponds, traditional canoeing, volcano and lava tours, some of the Native Hawaiian language programs, and the various NHVEP colleges," said Water Chief. "The hospitality and love shown by each of the native Hawaiian groups was overwhelming." Networking, linkages, and strong bonds were created through the exchange, as the Hawaiians' experience of colonialism is similar to the aboriginal experience in the Americas. 

George Knife, RCCC student council president, was very moved by the experience. He said, "I learned a lot about the culture. The people there help each other; they pull together; and they don't fight amongst each other. They are trying to get ahead; they are just like us - they have the same problems we do like student retention. They, too, are trying to get their languages and traditions back." 

The group acted as ambassadors to promote next year's World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) to be held August 4-10, 2002, at Stoney Park, Morley, Alberta, Canada.

The other RCCC participants were: Dorothy First Rider, Louis Soop, Margret Weasel Fat, Beatrice Big Sorrel Horse, and Alannah Crop Eared Wolf. For more information on the WIPCE conference visit their website <www.fbagec,irg/wipce2002>. 

Texas students build NWIC virtual library

By Dr. Loriene Roy and Ms. Aimee Akerman

A giant leap toward a more complete virtual library was taken last spring when students at the University of Texas at Austin created a virtual library of education resources for the Oksale Native Teacher Preparation Program at Northwest Indian College (NWIC). The students were in Dr. Loriene Roy's (Anishinabe) classes in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the university. The work was a collaborative effort made possible through a U. S. Department of Education PT3 grant awarded to Portland (OR) State University. It supplements the NWIC's involvement in the AIHEC Virtual Library project.

The Oksale Virtual Library of Education Resources features 12 topic and resource guides, or pathfinders, based on the course offerings and syllabi for the Oksale program. Pathfinders were created on topics such as "Contributions of Cultures to the Development of Mathematics," "Media Literacy," and "The Impact of Technology on Indigenous Peoples." There are also links to sources of information on creating culturally responsive curricula for Native American students, nearly 50 annotated links to sources on lesson plans, and links to sites for children and parents, including homework help.

It provides resources to update and reinforce the technology skills of both Oksale students and staff. GSLIS students also created online handouts on such technologies and skills as HTML, Java, Dreamweaver, image mapping, and Flash Animation. Other resources include an original glossary of over 60 technical terms used on the web site, annotated links to web sites that provide technical assistance, downloads, search engines, and advice on how to evaluate web sites.

Roy and several GSLIS students traveled to NWIC to meet with administrators, staff, and students to receive feedback about the virtual library. The relationship between NWIC and GSLIS is fruitful and ongoing, as is the Oksale virtual library project. More information can be found at <www.gslis.utexas.edu/~vlibrary>. 

Keweenaw initiating job training program

Greater job skills training and employment opportunities on the L'Anse Indian Reservation and surrounding areas should result from a new grant received by Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC) in northern Michigan. The Michigan Family Independence Agency and Department of Civil Rights granted $33,000 to the college to provide skills training to low-income families currently receiving social services. 

Titled "Success and Empowerment Through Computers and Business," the program aims to reduce poverty by helping families and individuals to learn new job skills and to upgrade their existing skills. At the same time, it will increase their self-esteem and encourage them to continue their higher education. College course textbooks and materials will be provided to each participant without cost. The program will:

Other program sites will be the Lac Vieux Desert Indian Community reservation in Watersmeet and the Hannahville Indian Community reservation in Wilson. Priority will be given to Native American clients who are handicapped or have other barriers to employment such as limited education or limited work experience. "These services and activities promise to have measurable impacts on the causes and effects of poverty within the community as well as remove obstacles associated with training and employment," according to KBOCC President Debra Parrish.

LPTC comparing Mayan culture with Ho-Chunk

Multi-culturalism is a well-known buzzword amongst educators these days. The faculty members at Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) in Winnebago, NE, are no exception. Partnering with faculty at Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Omaha, NE, the two schools are comparing the ancient Mayan civilization of the Yucatan and Central America to Nebraska's Winnebago or Ho-Chunk people. The Ho-Chunk once lived in the states of Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The purpose of the project is to globalize the curriculum at both institutions. The project will introduce a Spanish language curriculum at LPTC and enhance the Spanish language curriculum at MCC. Participants will look at contemporary issues of the Mayan and Winnebago cultures.

Over the past two years, faculty members from LPTC and MCC have participated in monthly faculty development sessions featuring guest speakers, study circles, audio conferences, research at local museums, retreats, and independent study of library resources from the Internet, journals, and other literary resources. They are designing new and modified curriculum reflecting the comparative research of Ho-Chunk/Mayan cultures. It will be used at both schools across the curriculum, including American Indian studies, art, environmental sciences, geography, mathematics, psychology, respiratory therapy and allied health fields, sociology, Spanish, and visual communication. All faculty at LPTC and MCC as well as at other area institutions will be encouraged to participate in the series and globalize their curriculum.

In the first year of the project the participants traveled to the Yucatan. A trip is planned to Belize and Northern Guatemala for the second year. The trips are recorded with video and still photography. This project capitalizes on some of the most talented educators, archaeologists, and historians in the United States and South America. For more information and photos of the exchange trips, see the college website at <www.lptc.cc.ne.us>.

CIT groundbreaking breaks new ground

Crownpoint Institute of Technology (CIT) has had much to celebrate during the past several years, and Monday, August 13 was another banner day in Crownpoint, NM. CIT broke ground for a 20,000-square foot "one-stop" facility to house several Navajo Nation social agencies. TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), the Child Support and Protection Agency, the Navajo Nation Scholarship Office, The Workforce Development Agency, and TAOS (Tohatchi Area Opportunity Services program) will all be under one roof, thanks to a $2.1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant.

"The new office facility will be a real convenience to the community," said CIT Special Projects Officer Leon Porter. "Right now these various agencies are scattered throughout the reservation, which makes it very hard for people to get to the help they need - especially people with handicaps and without transportation. A central location makes sense, and we're happy to be in a position to help out."

On the same day, the institute began construction of its new cultural center, a hogan-shaped log building dedicated to the preservation of Navajo language and culture. The cultural center is a joint project of the American Indian College Fund, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, and log home building suppliers around the country. "Our cultural center will be a showcase for the Eastern Navajo Agency - a living laboratory for study and preservation of our Navajo history, culture, and language. CIT has always sought ways to preserve the old as we explore the new. The center is the perfect place to make that happen," said J. R. DeGroat, development officer for CIT.

Speakers from the offices of U.S. Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman and U.S. Rep. Tom Udall attended. The groundbreaking ceremony followed where Roberto Salazar, director of USDA's Rural Development Agency in New Mexico, presented a check to CIT president James M. Tutt. After lunch CIT staff and facility and community representatives joined in placing the cultural center's foundation logs. "These projects are a fine example of cooperation between the college and the community," said Tutt. "The office building will be a great help to people seeking the agencies' assistance, and the agencies themselves can guide their clients to the many educational opportunities CIT offers. The Cultural Center will be a genuine force for uniting our Navajo people."

Packard scholarships benefit Fort Belknap

The David & Lucile Packard Foundation is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the United States, and it is having an important impact on tribal colleges. In 1996, the foundation began the Tribal Scholars Program, which provides scholarships to outstanding tribal college students. Through this program, tribal college graduates who are transferring into bachelor degree science programs at four-year institutions are eligible to receive $10,000. To date, 13 Fort Belknap College graduates have received these prestigious and highly competitive awards. This year, four of the 15 tribal scholars selected from all tribal colleges across the nation are students at Fort Belknap College. 

Suzanne Doney Cochran is in the allied health associate of science program and is transferring to Montana State University-Northern in the nursing program in the fall of 2001. Suzanne is married to Roy Cochran, and they have two children. Suzanne is an LPN with the Fort Belknap Indian Health Service. She has attended Fort Belknap College part-time and has worked full-time, dedicating herself to her family, home, education, and work. 

Wendy Hopkins has an associate degree in allied health. Wendy has pursued this degree with steely determination, completing this degree in five quarters. She has averaged 22 credits per quarter. This is quite an accomplishment for a full-time mother who commutes. Wendy is married and has two children. She transferred to the nursing program at Montana State University-Northern in the fall of 2001. 

Neil Rock is completing an associate degree in allied health. Neil served in the United States Navy for two years and came to Fort Belknap College after his tour. Neil is transferring to Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. He will be majoring in biological science and also be pursuing an education in medicine.

Dean Snow received an associate of science degree in allied health in June 2001. He is enrolled in the pre-med program at Montana State University in Bozeman. He plans to complete his degree in the health field as a family practitioner. Dean has an infant son, Darrien. 

Funds from the Packard Foundation have provided valuable assistance to Fort Belknap College and its students over the past seven years, according to Scott Friskics.