The current study, which focuses on mentored research experiences of freshmen and sophomores at the tribal college of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, responds to the call by Ovink and Veazey (2011) for additional study of effective strategies for providing both mentoring and research experiences for minority undergraduates. We use qualitative…

This article describes the history of the Native nations' ability to adapt to their surroundings in order to survive and preserve their cultures. Today, the tribal colleges and universities are employing a variety of methods to preserve culture and maintain Native identity. Large and small TCUs across North America are incorporating the…

This article describes a learning program of the Tohono O'odham or "desert people" of the Southwestern United States and Mexico. Their culture and knowledge on both sides of the border is for them a special way of life known as "himdag," where science is built into everyday life of gathering, hunting, farming, artistry,…

This article imagines the comparative education community as a tribal grouping. Using traditional anthropological categories, it explores how tribal membership is established and the rites and rituals that bind the tribe; questions of kinship among the larger family groupings within the tribe; belief systems; questions of social stratification in…

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa are investing in education and future generations with a new tribal college campus. The new Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) campus in northern Minnesota will greatly improve not only the college's physical appearance, but will also elevate the community's sense of pride and self-esteem. The impact of the new…

Focus group interviews were conducted with educators and stakeholders for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, including teachers, elementary and high school principals, tribal community leaders, and parents, to determine a global definition of culture and ways of infusing culture into curriculum to better educate AI/AN students. Focus…

The cultural experiences of minority learners are often omitted from the formal curriculum leading to exclusion and a sense of cultural loss. In this study, the researcher's lived experience serves as the basis to develop a novel research strategy: transformative autoethnography. The researcher uses the method of autoethnography to more…

For over 40 years, tribal colleges and universities have devised innovative programs to address behavioral and tribal health. Cheryl Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, looks back at the progress made and details current strategies and initiatives.

This article describes the activities of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI) at the University of Washington, Washington State, in collaborating with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to examine alcohol, drug, and mental health issues among Native students. The authors provide first steps for the development of culturally…

This study applied the Dynamic Social Systems Model (DSSM) to the issue of HIV risk among the Maasai tribe of Tanzania, using data from a cross-sectional, cluster survey among 370 randomly selected participants from Ngorongoro and Siha Districts. A culturally appropriate survey instrument was developed to explore traditions reportedly coadunate…

Indigenous people have always created what colonial language labels art. Yet there is no Native word for "art" as defined in a Euro-American sense. Art, as the dominant culture envisions, is mostly ornamental. This is in sharp juxtaposition to a Native perspective, which sees art as integrative, inclusive, practical, and constantly…

In this article, the author discusses the history and practice of "star quilt" making. The star quilt has become synonymous with the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, home to the Assiniboine and several bands of Lakota and Dakota. Receiving a quilt is considered a great honor and often takes place at powwows, funerals, memorials, and even…

This study examined the indigenous identities of urban American Indian youth using measures related to three theoretical dimensions of Markstrom's identity model: identification (tribal and ethnic heritage), connection (reservation ties), and involvement in traditional cultural practices and spirituality. Data came from self-administered…

Since the first tribal college was established in the late 1960s, tribal colleges and universities have offered technical-learning opportunities to students in isolated communities around the country. From the onset, many of these colleges focused on providing practical skills and vocational job training, and frequently targeted nontraditional,…

In North America, and worldwide, Indigenous languages are disappearing at an alarming rate. There are, however, models of success for language revitalization in immersion language programs, usually found in tribal colleges and universities. Whether the language learners are tribal college students greeting one another in their native language,…