According to anthropologists, the Hidatsa people resided at Spirit Lake, North Dakota, until circa 1500. A Hidatsa leader had a dream in which he was requested to move west to the Missouri River, where the Hidatsa then established a village near present-day Stanton, North Dakota (Bowers, 1992, p. 22; Milligan, 1972; Document on Hidatsa, n.d.;…

Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College (NHSC) in North Dakota is a tribal college chartered by the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation to serve as the agency responsible for higher education on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in order to train tribal members and retain tribal cultures. With the preservation and revitalization of tribal culture…

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) is a one-of-a-kind college dedicated to contemporary Native American arts and open to all peoples. The curriculum at IAIA includes innovative and integrative approaches to the arts as they connect to culture and science. The celebration of art and cultural identity are included in IAIA's Land-Grant…

Preserving the Navajo language, or "Diné bizaad," is of profound importance for all Indigenous people in the United States, as Navajo is one of the more widely spoken Native languages yet is still facing the early stages of endangerment. Currently, the Navajo Nation, like other tribes, lacks a significant presence of community-based…

On October 20, 2023, Red Crow Community College ("Mikaisto") board of governors, elders, staff, and students made their grand entry into their long-awaited new campus. This marked a new era for adult education on the Kainai First Nation Blood Tribe, in Stand Off, Alberta, Canada. The college's former campus was located at St. Mary's…

Research findings have shown that Native students succeed academically when culture is integrated into the school (Apthorp, 2014). However, most teachers working on reservations are non- Native and have limited knowledge of American Indian history (Martinez, 2013). Moreover, there is a gap in the literature about effective cultural integration…

The Indian-Pioneer History Project began in the spring of 1937, when scores of young field workers set out to interview elderly Oklahomans who could recall life during territorial days. Funded by the federal government's Works Progress Administration and sponsored by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) in cooperation with the University of…

The Native American Leadership Model is a source for understanding leadership styles through a lens of tribal core values and Indigenous learning methodologies. This model can serve as a tool to reclaim and assert the Indigenous perspective on Native American leadership that was dismantled over centuries through U.S. assimilation policies. The…

History at its best helps the present make sense of the past. History at its best tells the nation's story through the voices of all the people. These voices enlighten and provide wise counsel for the present, creating healthy and creative communities. History at its worst not only ignores the different voices, but eliminates them altogether. The…

Tribal colleges seek to approach education from the perspective of American Indian people and create an educational experience that promotes tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Indigenous studies--its mission, teaching strategies, curricular focus, research, and academic and community engagement--makes it possible for tribal colleges to…

Ilisagvik College's "tikisaksraq," or vision, is as follows: "Ikayuutauluta Nunaaqqiñun Suannaktaaglugit IIisagnikunlu Suragallasiñikunlu"--to help build strong communities through education and training. The "sivuniq", or mission, is to provide quality post-secondary academic, vocational, and technical education in a…

By all appearances, Montana's Fort Belknap fits the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) definition of a food desert perfectly. There are no supermarkets on the 1,000-square-mile reservation. Most residents of this Indian reservation, especially those living on the southern end of the reservation, must drive long distances to buy…

Navajo Technical University first opened its doors in 1979 as the Navajo Skills Center with the simple intention of training an unemployed workforce and putting people to work. At the time, the Diné were just a generation removed from attempts at forced assimilation, which included unwarranted military action by the U.S. Cavalry during the Long…

Before 2000, Indian tribes were forced by federal law to get permission to hire an attorney. This article invites readers to consider all of the disputes Indian tribes have had with the United States, state governments, and others before the year 2000, and how in each instance the federal government had to approve the arrangement between the…

The U.S.-Mexico border region of the Sonoran Desert is home to 30 Native nations in the United States, and about 15 Indigenous communities in Mexico. Imposed on Indigenous peoples' ancestral lands, the border is an artificial line created in 1848, following the war between the U.S. and Mexico. Tohono O'odham Community College (TOCC) seeks to…