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.;…

Indigenous language revitalization (ILR), or the act of reversing the language shift from English back to Native languages, is an essential task. Since their inception, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) have worked to support and often lead language communities in this task. Since its beginning, Sitting Bull College (SBC), located on the…

Addressing food, energy, and water issues through a systems approach is essential for Native American communities, where climate change, natural disasters, and pandemics further strain access to these vital resources. Tribal communities experience a disproportionate impact from these global crises, which heightens and exposes existing…

Grounded in Indigenous core beliefs with an eye toward the future of higher education, Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) represents a fixture in the tribal college landscape. NICC was founded in 1973, chartered by the Umonhon and Isanti nations, and created to broaden access to higher education, increase economic opportunities, and preserve…

When the first tribal colleges were established over 50 years ago, Native American languages were more widely used than today. Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) were envisioned to offer a base for the retention and development of Indigenous languages and cultures, and they would establish archival collections to support this mission.…

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…

Registered nurses (RNs) are one of the nation's top in-demand occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the field to grow from 3 million in 2019 to 3.3 million in 2029, an increase of 7%. For Native communities, the demand for RNs is particularly important. Often located in rural areas where there are already shortages of medical…

Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) across North America are located in communities grappling with the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has intensified the stress on many Native communities already struggling with issues of economic sustainability and public health. Yet COVID-19--or "Dikos…

Amid so much negativity and despairing world news, there truly is a voice of love and hope that resonates and inspires. That voice belongs to Joy Harjo. The first Native American to take on the mantle of U.S. Poet Laureate, Harjo embodies grace and wisdom and perhaps offers a much-needed panacea that our country seeks.

Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) in North Dakota recognized the need for health education access and the benefits of training American Indian healthcare professionals in a rural setting, thus leading the college to pursue Health Profession Opportunity grants (HPOG) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Education…

What does it mean to be a good citizen? In some ways, the answer is simple: participate in government (vote), pay your taxes, don't break the law, and contribute to the economic well-being of the United States. But there is more. The definition of being a good citizen is bound up in society's core cultural values and how those values are practiced…

The lives of tribal people emerge from the stories of creation and teachings about how to be in relationships. For tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) the essence of who they are can be seen in how tribal institutions were created and in how they deliver their missions every day. Over decades of interaction with American education systems,…

The story of Deganawidah-Quetzalcoatl (D-Q) University is rooted firmly in the land and peoples of California, but also in other Native nations and nationals who have recently relocated. There are many versions of where and how D-Q began. D-Q's articles of incorporation, which were based on the "brief proposal" of June and August 1970,…

According to the American Council on Education, only 30% of all college and university presidents are women, and only 5% are women of color. However, 43% of presidents at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are women, and 100% of those women presidents are Native. Tribal colleges have always led the nation in appointing women presidents. But…

Over a decade ago, in early 2011, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Montana initiated a series of conversations with Northern Cheyenne traditional elders and officials at Chief Dull Knife College (CDKC) regarding ways to enhance resource management cooperation between the federal agency and the tribe. The BLM wanted to adjust--and in some…