Woksape: The Identity of Tribal Colleges – Discussion Paper
Prepared by NWIC President, Cheryl Crazy Bull, as a discussion paper for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) – June 2010.
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Woksape is the Lakota value of wisdom. It is the sharing of the knowledge of the people especially our elders with others so that they may learn and have good health and happiness. It is hoped that in this sharing that good advice is offered so that others will benefit. It is in the spirit of woksape and what I remember that I offer this discussion paper.
Tribal Colleges and Universities are described in many ways: unique, culturally rich, culturally relevant, reservation based, even as underfunded miracles and the best kept secret in higher education. This paper focuses on the many aspects of tribal colleges and universities that inform our identity as tribal institutions. These are the qualities which make us distinctive institutions – distinctive and different from other higher education institutions that educate and serve indigenous peoples especially in the United States. I will refer to tribal colleges or TCUs as the encompassing term for tribally-chartered institutions located on Indian reservations. I also use the terms, Native, tribal, indigenous and American Indian interchangeably.
The history of higher education among American Indians traces its roots back to the early days of the colonization of the Americas. This history will not be explored here except to call attention to the fact that many of the early higher education institutions included a mission to serve American Indians. As public education grew in the United States simultaneous with the termination and relocation periods in Native historical experience, the intention of assimilation of Native peoples became more entrenched in educational practice. American Indian history was minimally addressed, if at all, in curriculum and teaching and there was essentially no Native culture and language in higher education institutions throughout the country. With WWII and the Korean Wars, Native people had become increasingly exposed to American society. This along with the impact of relocation and termination and the rise of the civil and native rights movement caused many Native leaders on reservations to examine how their tribal communities had been impacted by the assimilation experience, what the status of development and management of tribal resources and programs looked like, and whether there was any positive value in sending young people off to college. College entrance was dismal and successful attainment of degrees practically non-existent.
In preparing this discussion paper, I considered the identifiers of tribal colleges as those which are obvious – mission, location, student demographics, tribal charter; and those which are contextual and therefore more subtle as definers of a separate and distinct identity – such as the vision of the founders of the tribal college movement, character and nature of our students and the experiences that they bring into our settings, and the ways that the spiritual life of the people are integrated into the daily life of tribal colleges.
Tribally controlled colleges and tribally chartered colleges are terms often used to describe the institutions discussed here. The foundational characteristic of these institutions is that they are established by a tribal government through a charter using the governance authority of the respective tribe. I do not intend in this discussion to include institutions whose charters or incorporation exist under other authorities such as a corporation or federal charter or which are operated by the federal government. The establishment of a tribally chartered institution is inherently a distinct experience because it puts the tribes as governments in charge of their own higher education experiences.
Tribal College and University leadership identified that our collective voice is one of our unique characteristics. We have been able through the solid leadership of the founders and current members of American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to maintain a cohesive voice for the preservation of the tribal college identity and the tribal college movement. Our voice which calls attention to the unique government-to-government relationship of our tribal governments with the federal government reinforces the establishment of the tribal colleges as an act of tribal self-governance. Noteworthy is that AIHEC has evolved from a consortium of six tribal colleges with a focus on legislative funding to a 37-member organization with a broad policy and educational agenda that has significant national influence in higher education.
Also important to acknowledge is the role that tribal colleges have played in the international indigenous education community particularly through the establishment of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) an organization that promotes collaboration among indigenous higher education programs and institutions.
Related discussions that are inclusive of this discussion of the identity of the tribal colleges include the roles and opportunities associated with accreditation, academic assessment and institutional effectiveness, Native language restoration, land acquisition and development, and protection of inherent and acquired rights. All of these issues and many others such as our land-grant status must relate to the identity of the tribal colleges and universities to be relevant.
VISION AND PURPOSES
Tribal colleges have an identity that is distinctive from other higher education institutions and from other Native-serving institutions. Although the missions of the tribal colleges describe the cultural, social and economic roles of the institutions, they only touch upon the true intention of tribal colleges – which is the preservation of our identities as tribal people for all of eternity. Not only do tribal colleges maintain existing cultural practice and traditions, in many instances, tribal colleges are a place of restoration of hidden or lost knowledge. As described by Joan LaFrance and Richard Nichols in the Indigenous Evaluation Framework (Indigenous Evaluation Framework: Telling Our Story in Our Place and Time, 2008, AIHEC) as Native people our knowledge is not only what we learn and discover but is also what we acquire through spiritual engagement and practice. What LaFrance and Nichols have done is provide a contemporary description of what the founders of tribal colleges knew – that a tribal college education would be a source of both learned and acquired knowledge. Our founders defined the vision of TCUs is the preservation of the traditional practices, belief systems, languages and values of indigenous people. They saw the importance of this in the development of the leaders of our reservations who would be called upon to negotiate challenging environments heavily influenced by western knowledge and experiences. They wanted us to ensure that those qualities that make each tribal people unique are valued and promoted in the educational and community life of the institution. No other educational institution regardless of its public or private mission has this vision of our survival as tribes as its deepest and most heartfelt intention. This values-based mission is also well-grounded in the understanding that spiritual life is embedded in the everyday life of American Indian people and thus cannot be “taught” as a separate educational function.
It is well documented that the early founders of the TCUs looked at the whole picture of higher education for native people and found it sorely lacking in both quality and quantity. There is some evidence that discussions of junior colleges or higher education programs on reservations were first held in the 1950s, probably as a result of the returning veterans and the recognition that termination was encroaching dramatically on Native rights and identity. With the advent of anti-poverty programs and the civil rights movement came increased access across the country to higher education through community colleges systems and workforce training programs. This combined with the rise of the American Indian Movement and the renewed federal and tribal commitment to tribal self-governance resulted in the establishment of the first tribally-controlled education institutions including Dine College (formerly Navajo Community College) as the first tribal college. Dine College was quickly followed by the Lakota Higher Education Center (Oglala Lakota College) and the Rosebud College Center, (Sinte Gleska University) in 1969 and the early 1970’s. Joined by other tribal institutions over the years, tribal colleges and universities now include 31 tribally-chartered institutions in the US, one in Canada, and five other tribal institutions who are now members of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC).
The founders of the TCUs described their vision in their founding documents as well as various speeches and writings both published and unpublished. Many of the stories of the establishment of the tribal colleges are housed in the archives of AIHEC and at the various institutions themselves. It is important to note that the strong and dynamic oral history of the tribal colleges is another of the distinctive characteristics of the TCUs. The use of our oral history especially through storytelling is a valued and accepted means of remembering both our identity and our vision. Among the written statements about the founding of the TCUs are statements contained in the book: Tribally Controlled Colleges: Making Good Medicine by Dr. Wayne Stein, former President of Standing Rock Community College (Sitting Bull College) and now a professor at Montana State University. (American Indian Series Vol. 3, 1992, Peter Lang Pub Co) Examples of founders’ statements from Navajo Community College, Oglala Sioux Community College and Rosebud Tribal College illustrate the early defining of the distinct tribal college mission, italics added to stress founding themes:
Among the founding principles of Navajo Community College (Roessel & Board of Regents, 1968-69)
- For any community or society to grow and prosper, it must have its own means for educating its citizens. And it is essential that these educational systems be directed and controlled by the society it is intended to serve.
- If a community or society is to continue to grow and prosper, each member of that society must be provided with an opportunity to acquire a positive self-image and a clear sense of identity. This can be achieved only when each individual’s capacities are developed and used to the fullest possible extent. It is absolutely necessary for every individual to respect and understand his culture and his heritage; and he must have faith in the future of his society.
- Members of different cultures must develop their abilities to operate effectively not only in their own immediate societies but also in the complexities of varied cultures that make up the larger society of man.
Early mission of Oglala Sioux Community College (1971)
Tribal: to provide the Oglala Sioux as a sovereign people with trained human resources and personnel (and) to assist people with being active, productive members of their communities and the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Cultural: to present the Lakota view in teaching within the professional, occupational and community programs (and) to develop the Lakota culture as an area of study in itself (and) to research, study and disseminate the Lakota language, culture and philosophy.
Academic: high academic standards, open enrollment, access, basic skills and human values, work with other institutions and agencies.
Community: assist with determination of development needs of the reservation districts and communities in furthering their goals (and) to provide sound, basic education or GED.
Lastly, the late Jerry Mohatt, founding President of Sinte Gleska College spoke to the importance of his stepping aside to an Indian President, Lionel Bordeaux…”to be true to the mission and goals of serving the Rosebud People: providing quality higher education, always listening to the grassroots people of the communities, being locally and Indian controlled, and preserving and promoting the Lakota language and culture.”
Many similar statements and related stories exist for all of the tribal colleges regardless of whether they were established in the early years of the movement or more recently as evidenced by the founding mission of a newer member of AIHEC:
The College of the Muscogee Nation is the institution of higher education for the Muscogee Creek Nation emphasizing native culture, values, language and self determination. The College will provide a positive learning environment for tribal and non-tribal students as citizens of a tribal and global society supported by teaching excellence and will offer exemplary academic programs that meet student, tribal, and societal needs. Through instructional quality and visionary leadership, the College of the Muscogee Nation will encourage lifelong learners, for personal growth, professional development, and intellectual advancement.
The cultural vitality of tribal people as evidenced by strong tribal identity, social and economic prosperity, and maintaining the integrity of knowledge and practice represents the vision of the founders. Tribal colleges are the only higher education institutions established through this vision.
DEFINING PLACE-BASED IDENTITY OF THE TCUs
Tribal colleges are reservation based institutions whose identity is irrevocably linked to the nature of the reservation experience. Whether established as institutions on reservations that are the traditional homelands of Native people or on lands that came from the experience of being dispossessed of their homelands, the joys and sorrows of the lives of Native people permeate the lands and the resources on which tribal colleges thrive. Up until the establishment of tribal colleges in Oklahoma, tribal colleges arose primarily out of the historic homelands of Native people. This historical and contemporary experience includes the knowledge of how the people originated, how the land and resources came to be, and how the other nations joined humans in the time of creation. Each tribe is unique in its understanding of creation and possesses all the knowledge of its identity in the language, experiences and history associated with the place of their origin. Tribal colleges established in places where their people have been located as the result of forced removal have the challenge of reaching back to the lands of their people’s birth for their understanding of their world.
Dr. Stein also references the many challenging experiences that the early tribal college founders had as they promoted their institutions throughout higher education. In the context of those experiences lie important descriptors of who the tribal colleges are. For example, describing an experience of Dr. Ned Hatathli of Navajo Community College at a news conference in Washington in 1974 when asked why a tribal college, what makes a tribal college different, after some thought he replied “for one thing, we don’t teach that Columbus discovered America.” This statement is indicative of our understanding that what tribal colleges teach is the history and knowledge of the world from tribal perspectives. Over the years, the experience of education at tribal colleges has evolved as Native scholars emerge more fully in the world of academia bringing research and curricular skills and improved teaching skills. The evolving philosophy of education at the tribal colleges remain solidly based in tribal knowledge and scholarship as we have defined it as our way of thinking and our way of knowing the world. Native Studies thrives in the tribal colleges in ways that are unknown in other settings. It is place-based and deeply interwoven with the spiritual life of the people. Native students at TCUs and the Native scholars and teachers who work with them have constructed an understanding of Native knowledge that interprets traditional knowledge and life for the contemporary settings that we live in today.
Also important in the definition of the tribal college is the commitment to both the sense of being a nation of tribal people and the sense of community and kinship that are inherent in tribal life. Tribal colleges fill the need of Native people to “be at home” and to go college with each other. Tribal colleges reach out to the people of tribal communities who despite a rich and abundant tribal culture are often left behind in the allocation of resources and services. The grassroots people of the reservations are both the people with rich cultural lifestyles and those who have been disenfranchised from services including employment, health and education. Sometimes those two sets of characteristics are held by the same group of people. Regardless of the situation, tribal colleges reach out into tribal communities in ways that other institutions cannot, both because of their location and because of the nature of their educational services. As tribal colleges mature there are generational experiences with education where the children and grandchildren of early tribal college programs are now students. This multi-generational experience tied to the place-based tribal college is not easily replicated in other educational environments- it is most unique to tribal colleges.
In America today, most public education is solidly grounded in the development of productive citizenship which generally means the development of individuals who are economically prepared to contribute to society. Although there is debate today over the role of the university and public higher education, it is difficult to challenge the perception of education as an economic tool when examining the allocation of resources and the priorities associated with innovation, technology, business and other economic engines. Certainly, institutions with religious missions generally promote certain religious values and may or may not be in the practice of the promotion of certain religions. They will often have core academic programs that are mission based from a religious perspective but will still focus considerable resources on economic outcomes. I recall that during the time of the Indian Nations at Risk Task Force and its reports including the commissioned papers (Indian Nations at Risk, 1991, Department of Education, Washington DC) the United States educational and political agenda engaged Goals 2000 – aspirations for the competitive edge for America lie with economic drivers such as math, science and technology. Tribal colleges as part of the overall tribally controlled education movement rejected that notion. The task force report began to clearly define what had long been known in our tribal communities – our goal is to develop human beings as tribes describe humanness. We recognized that economic contributions are but one aspect of our wholeness as human beings.
Another way in which the tribal colleges are particularly unique is that the early founders of the TCUs established their institutions out of a genuine understanding of and experience with Native spiritual life. They called upon their spiritual practices both for guidance and to assure success. This foundational spiritual quality does not exist in public education today. Faith based institutions may have similar foundational qualities with missions that are focused on spiritual and religious ways of living but are generally they are not in existence to preserve the identity and life ways of particular racial groups (in this case, indigenous people). This is not to imply that spirituality does not exist for people involved in public higher education, rather it recognizes that spirituality is generally viewed as an external or at best peripheral endeavor.
Integrated in the spiritual practices inherent at tribal colleges is the necessary role of natural and customary law in the fulfillment of social relationships and in the governance of the institutions. Most institutions practice a form of shared governance that empowers Native leadership and offers a consultative model of decision making. Family, extended family and tribally-defined relationships such as tiyospaye and clan relationships are inherently part of the tribal college experience due to the cultural life and place-based location of the colleges.
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT
Also critical to understanding the identity of the tribal colleges is knowledge of how they impact the social, economic, and political climates of the reservations in ways that off-reservation and mainstream experiences cannot. Tribal colleges due both to their missions and their locations are by their nature influential in community life. One aspect of the university in western society as a place of study and critical thought has translated itself well into the expression of activism at the TCUs. Students learn how their tribal history and identity is not only critical to their tribe’s survival; it is interwoven in the lives of other tribal nations and in a more global experience of human beings. Tribal colleges help students, staff and community members find their voice as Natives and as part of Creation.
TCUs are catalysts for community transformation, fostering economic growth and the development of the Tribe’s knowledge base. TCUs model economic prosperity, often thriving in economic situations where the standard of living is significantly below the poverty level. They can provide a steadfast source of tribal employment and pour millions of dollars into local economies through financial aid, payroll and direct services such as construction projects. TCUs are often a primary driver of business development through incubation projects and technical assistance services.
In many instances, tribal colleges are the place where students learn about their family history and develop a strong sense of kinship. They may learn for the first time about the history of tribes in the US, about Indian education, or about how to conduct themselves in tribal settings. Poverty, disenfranchisement, and oppression along with mainstream media and transitory populations have severely hampered the ability of families to pass along tribal knowledge and skills. Tribal colleges are a source for this knowledge as well as affording students access to different opportunities to practice traditional ways.
Political activism is another key characteristic of tribal colleges. Ranging from advocacy for wellness and healthy living to educational reform to the reform of tribal government, tribal college students and staff are fully engaged tribal citizens when addressing the myriad of needs and issues in their tribal communities. Lionel Bordeaux, President of Sinte Gleska University and the longest serving tribal college president is a clear voice of the intention of the founders of the tribal college movement to bring governmental reform to tribal nations through advocacy of a return to more traditional practices and values within the governance and social systems of the reservations.
Education in the US is a political act for indigenous people and especially for our Native students – they are taught a curriculum that promotes American/Western culture, capitalism and individualism. They are taught with methodologies that do not honor their ways of knowing and which are not effective for their learning. Most Native Studies classes at non-tribal college institutions are designed to be taught to non-native students. Native Studies at tribal colleges is for native students. It is a collective experience with indigenous ways of knowing at the core of its design. The experience of education at tribal colleges evolves out of the best practices of teaching and learning with Native students.
CONSTITUENCIES AND LEADERSHIP
Tribal colleges serve an exceptional student population. Our students are reservation based, usually people with limited or no access to higher education and often with limited or no access to many other services including government, health and business services. They are almost always rural and don’t have much family history of higher education. Their historical experience with education is likely to be filled with trauma. Their successful experiences at the tribal college foster a strong sense of accomplishment and a feeling of ownership of both their educational experience and of the tribal college. The deepest cultural knowledge of their tribes is usually held by them or someone in their family and they are eager to take advantage of the education offered by the tribal college because it resonates with their cultural and familial experiences.
The people we serve are not only the students of the tribal colleges they are the teachers and scholars of their tribal nations.
Students at tribal colleges share that tribal colleges are a sanctuary, a safe place, often a place where a student feels that his or her life is being saved and transformed. Students tell us that they have more opportunities to participate in the college experience at tribal colleges because they are not a number with us – they are our relatives, both literally and figuratively.
Similar to our student population are the characteristics of the faculty and staff at TCUs. Because TCUs are reservation based institutions, our total native employee population will be high while the percentage of faculty who are not native will be significant. This is primarily due to the limited number of available trained Native individuals for faculty positions and the challenges associated with offering competitive opportunities for Native educators. Under-recognized across the academy is that at the TCUs are some of the most knowledgeable Native faculty and scholars in the country. The faculty and staff of the TCUs are experts at the education of American Indian adults and often possess the most knowledge of how to provide a seamless education experience in tribal communities.
Because of the community based nature of tribal colleges the academic and community programs of the college are accountable to the community’s elders and leaders. This accountability goes beyond the expectations of any external evaluator including accreditation agencies. It is often rigorous and challenging because the expectations and hopes of the tribal elders and leaders for the future of their children rest with the opportunities and resources of the tribal college. Faculty and staff whether or not they are members of the community or tribe are responsible for a very close-up form of accountability. At any moment, a student’s auntie might come to visit the campus or a young mother may bring her children to class. This is almost unheard of in other educational settings.
A case study of Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota by Eric Longie and Annmaria Rousey (The Tribal College as Family Support System, American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 44 No. 9, May 2001, Sage Publications) demonstrates the crucial role of the place-based tribal college in support of Native student success. Their study discusses the ways CCCC supports students in a manner that is different from non-tribal institutions. This includes the expression of cultural and family support through the College’s mission and programs, the social services support provided by the College to its students, and the ability of the tribal college to be responsive to the student’s familial and social obligations as central in the College’s place-based role. Their study examines the impact of this central characteristic of family and social support on the higher student retention and successful graduation of at-risk students at tribal colleges. It reinforces that the reservation or place-based role of the tribal college is critical to student identity and achievement.
The governing boards of the tribal colleges are also reflective of this community experience. Regardless of whether elected or appointed, board members have governance roles at TCUs because of political, social, cultural and familial relationships. Many board members are graduates of tribal colleges (as are an increasing number of TCU presidents), but they may also have little or no formal education. Often they have deep ties to the grassroots members of tribal communities, to the cultural and spiritual leadership, and to the extended families who comprise most of our tribes. They will live in the communities served by the tribal colleges.
Finally, presidents of tribal colleges also bring critical leadership and knowledge to the identity of tribal colleges. As Janine Pease identified in her dissertation: The Tribally Controlled Community Colleges Act of 1978: An expansion of Indian trust responsibility (Montana State University 1994) a study of tribal college leaders revealed that the (Plains Indian) warrior traditions of spiritual strength and courageous dedication are notable characteristics of the TCU president. Her description of the leadership prior to 1994 applies still today …”they were raised up in the tribal community with the values of family sharing, generosity, warrior commitment and spiritual dedication.” Rarely does the opportunity exist for a college president to significantly influence the future of a cohesive and defined group of people in the way that a TCU president can impact the people served by his or her institution. In tribal colleges, the presidency is very personal.
HONORING THE TCU IDENTITY
Native people are becoming increasing multi-tribal or multi-racial with the majority now living in urban areas. Few opportunities for employment exist on many reservations so economic hardship has caused more Natives to move to cities for jobs. We also have multi-generational residency in population centers where our relatives had been sent during relocation. Because of access to media through television and the internet, our young people are increasing global citizens. We are at a critical time in the protection of our nationalism as tribal people. It is important that all Native people and their allies re-commit to the preservation and restoration of tribal languages and cultural knowledge and practices. We should do everything possible to preserve our homelands and to teach our children and their families about their inherent rights and about the protections and rights afforded to us by treaties. We must honor and practice our traditional and customary laws, our ways of governing, and our spiritual teachings. Without these qualities, we do not exist at tribal people, not in a way that our ancestors would recognize.
Other institutions educate American Indian and indigenous students. They provide opportunities for research and scholarship and build lasting and productive relationships with tribal communities. They employ some of the most talented and well-educated Native people in the country in their various colleges and programs. We honor and respect the work of Native faculty and staff at those institutions. We support our Native students who attend those institutions and defend their right to a quality education at whatever place they choose. However, these institutions no matter how many Native students attend, no matter how well-intentioned, no matter how long their relationships with surrounding tribes, are not tribally controlled colleges.
Tribal colleges are distinct because they are institutions of a specific place. Tribal knowledge is gathered and taught at the tribal college from the context of the tribe’s place and all the teachings that go with that. Traditional knowledge is taught in a contemporary setting just as the founders intended. Tribal colleges are places where scholars and teachers have found strategies for preservation and restoration of knowledge in a place that might be a called a “living laboratory”. They are places where Native students go to school with each other and work and learn toward living a life of balance – one that honors identity while developing skills and abilities to lead our tribes, manage our resources, and take care of our families.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
American Indian Higher Education Consortium (www.aihec.org)
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education (www.tribalcollegejournal.org)
American Indian College Fund (www.collegefund.org)
Tradition and Culture in the Millennium: Tribal College and Universities (Warner & Gipp, editors, 2009, Information Age Publishing)
Tribal Colleges: Shaping the Future of Native America (1989, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)
Native American Colleges: Progress and Prospects (1997, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)
Author Bio:
Cheryl Crazy Bull, Wacinyanpi Win (They Depend on Her), is Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Reservation. Currently residing in Washington State where she has served as President of Northwest Indian College since October 2002, Cheryl is the at-large member of the Executive Committee of AIHEC. She previously served as AIHEC Board Chair for four years, worked at Sinte Gleska University for 17 years and as the Superintendent of St. Francis Indian School on the Rosebud Reservation for over 4 years.