Draws from interviews with women serving as tribal college presidents in discussing the current and traditional roles of women in Indian society, why women lead 10 of the 28 member colleges of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the need for balanced leadership, and women's future role. (DMM)

Discusses the role of the emerging tribal libraries, designed to serve as repositories of Native American history and knowledge. Indicates that the tribal libraries and archives have provided a means for recentralizing documents important to Native American history that had previously been moved to distant repositories by outside elements. (MAB)

Discusses issues related to cultural survival and the 1990 passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Suggests that cultural protection can make Native Americans appear secretive about their cultures. Projects that the number of tribal museums will increase due to NAGPRA. (AJL)

Examines different approaches to environmental activism taken by Native Americans and Westerners as a result of their differing views of nature. Describes historical Western-Indian conflicts related to the preservation of bison in Yellowstone Park. Suggests that there is a growing acknowledgment in the scientific community of traditional…

Reports on the history of the tribal college movement and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC). In 1973 there were six tribal colleges, today there are 33. The American Indian College Fund was formed in 1989 to raise money for scholarships, and in 2001, the fund distributed nearly $4.1 million in college scholarships. (NB)

Describes California's D-Q University, founded in 1970 by American Indians and Chicanos. Highlights the University's collaboration with Indian Dispute Resolution Services (IDRS) to provide courses toward a certificate in conflict management and resolution. Reviews IDRS' efforts, indicating that its techniques are rooted in traditional Indian…

Describes the role of oral history in the traditions of Native Americans. Argues that although Western scholars have traditionally dismissed oral history as legend or myth, it is now gaining respect in higher education. Reviews efforts at incorporating oral history into the curriculum and discusses issues related to accuracy. (MAB)

Describes results of survey distributed to the American Indian Higher Education Consortium's 31 colleges. Findings from the 11 who responded indicate that both faculty and students conduct educational, scientific, and cultural (including local tribal communities) research, using a range of qualitative and quantitative methods. (YKH)

Presents an interview with Gail Bruce and Anne Ediger, who, in the early 1990s, conceived the idea of building cultural centers on 30 tribal college campuses. States that they imagined the centers would simply serve as repositories for Indian artifacts; however, after years of fund-raising efforts and program obstacles, the buildings transformed…

Discusses the diversity and intimacy of tribal colleges. States that tribal colleges serve a population that is by and large poor, female (65%), and first-time college students. Stresses the fact that tribal colleges come to know their students as individuals rather than statistics. (NB)

States that tribal colleges are not Ivory Towers standing above and beyond their communities. American Indians have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, sickness, mortality than others in the United States. Tribal colleges must provide health services, childcare and other community services as well as education to meet the needs of their…

Summarizes Dine College's (New Mexico) leading role in researching diabetes and other Navajo health problems, and its employment of students to help conduct research. States that because of an intimate understanding of their people, students can research topics that outside researchers would not or could not choose. (VWC)

Discusses the reforms that must be made in researching Native American communities, and the importance of tribal college research in redefining the foundations of scholarship. Emphasizes the need for humility, generosity, and respect among native and nonnative scholars when studying American Indian communities. (YKH)