Why would anyone want to spend thousands of hours away from home and pay hundreds of dollars in tuition to acquire one of the world's most difficult languages? For Anishinaabe people, that is an easy question to answer. The Ojibwe language is the thread that ties communities together and unites all Anishinaabe as one people sharing a common…

Of the 37 tribal colleges and universities in the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, 33 are tribally controlled--located on Indian land and chartered by tribes. In governance and funding, the four intertribal colleges differ from tribally-controlled colleges. Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for example,…

The three sisters story is shared across many tribes. It explains the practice of planting corn, beans, and squash together. The corn stalks provide support for the bean vines; the beans provide nitrogen for the corn; and the squash prevents weed growth between the mounds. Such stories explain not only the science of agricultural methods in tribal…

Each year thousands of Native students enroll at tribal colleges. Many say the close proximity to home is a draw for them. Others check out the facilities, and some might look over the staff roster and ask how many Native instructors work at the college. Several factors go into their decisions to enroll in a particular tribal college. For their…

Since its founding in 1968, Dine College in Tsaile, Arizona, has centered the curriculum on Dine language, history, and philosophy. "Sa'ah Naaghai Bik'eh Hozhoon," the Dine traditional living system, places human life in harmony with the natural world and the universe, providing protection from the imperfections in life and development of…

Speaking at faculty orientation before Dine College's Cultural Center in August 2004, the late Robert Roessel, a founder of Navajo Community College, described hopes that tribal leaders of the 1950s and 1960s had envisioned for tribal colleges. Designing programs of higher learning that work from and advance Native knowledge remains a core…

Assessment is a powerful tool that can support tribal colleges in serving their communities and accomplishing their missions by improving student learning through applied research. Assessment is not about evaluating individual student performance, but evaluates the overall achievement of a group of students in order to provide feedback to…

Green is definitely "in." Green refers not to fashion but the philosophy of environmental protection, stewardship, and social justice. There is nothing new about the green philosophy for tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and the Native communities they serve. Responsible stewardship of Mother Earth is a natural outgrowth of TCU's missions…

Through a new working group, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are playing a critical leadership role in addressing some of the most difficult climate-related problems now facing the planet. Because of their unique cultural character, TCUs have an important voice. The American Indian and Alaska Native Climate Change Working Group was formed…

While tribal educators rightfully search for ways to address the global warming and climate crisis using sustainability initiatives, people should also be cautious. They risk colonizing, exploiting, or commodifying the "green" dimension of the climate and energy crisis. By centering and privileging Indigenous knowing that assumes a nurturing,…

This article profiles teacher Leroy Silva (Laguna), 27, a.k.a. "Buster". Silva describes himself as an active guy who stays busy working out, playing basketball, softball, and more recently golf, soccer, and lacrosse. He teaches personal wellness and sports (not physical education), a job he began in 2006. Before that he was a trainer at the…

In 2005, Lumina Foundation for Education supported five colleges in the Northwest--Evergreen State College (TESC), Grays Harbor College (GHC), Northwest Indian College (NWIC), Salish Kootenai College (SKC), and Bainbridge Graduate Institute--to work together to develop Native teaching cases as a culturally relevant and engaging resource for Native…

According to a 2008 "newsroom census" by the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE), the total number of full-time journalists at daily newspapers decreased by 4.4% last year--about 2,400 journalists left daily reporting jobs because of buyouts or layoffs. Despite this trend, the percentage of minority journalists increased slightly since…

Tribal college and university (TCU) libraries try to be everything to everyone. In addition to the typical college students working on papers, they serve mothers with small children, faculty working on advanced degrees, and community members seeking photos or recordings of their ancestors. TCU's could not exist without their libraries; they would…

For the first time, the race to the White House included a woman and a man of African American heritage. U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both campaigned intensely to claim the Democratic nomination. While this may strike many Americans as historic, for some students attending tribal colleges, the election is still just that, the…