For me, this time of year means travel. It means recruiting for a program I care deeply about – the University of Colorado Upward Bound Program. My trips begin with a flight to a small town like Durango, Colorado or Fayetteville, North Carolina or in the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sometimes I fly all day just to end up on a little commuter plane with two-seats on each side of the aisle, and fly through turbulence to land in a different place in a new state.
“You are what you eat” is a food saying I have already used on my blog, but for this particular post I felt I should use it again to jump into the thought. November is Native American Heritage Month and I felt I should do the term some justice in this blog to show my pride. I am Tohono O’odham and I have a rich heritage.
Louise Erdrich, 58, a celebrated writer, poet, and enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, has won the National Book Award for her novel, “The Round House,” the second of a planned trilogy, set in her native North Dakota about an Ojibwe boy and his quest to avenge his mother’s rape.
The Estée Lauder Tribal Scholars Program has granted the American Indian College Fund to provide 10 scholarships to American Indian students studying marketing, business, environmental science, or a related field at a tribal college in Minnesota.
Check out Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull’s article in this issue of Tribal College Journal about the history of our tribal colleges, their role in facilitating the journey of Native peoples from colonization to sovereignty, and the responsibility of these remarkable institutions to future generations.
went to work for the Blackfeet Tribe fresh out of high school. I planned to work for just a year, and then go to college. That year turned into 22 years. I went to college for the first time in my life just short of my 44th birthday. Had it not been for the Blackfeet Community College, I might not have ever gone to college. True, I had to start commuting 50 miles round trip again, but the upside was that my husband agreed to join me. He hadn’t ever gone to college either.
spent summers with family in Kaibab. When my aunt would speak Paiute to me, I did not understand at the time that she was trying to teach me the language. I did not know what she was saying to me and I would ask my cousin to translate. Her reply was that I needed to ask my aunt what she was saying to me.
In 1961, during his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy delivered the memorable line in which he emphasized, “Ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country.” While he meant to apply this statement to the United States and the world at large, I feel that it also applies to Indian Country and my personal philosophy of “Think Indian.”
Native American Heritage Month is a great time to show your support for Native American students in higher education. We invite you to share in the celebration and learn more about Indian Country with the fun articles, activities and blogs we have planned this month. We hope that you will visit our blog regularly to hear from our guest writers who all bring their unique Native perspective for your enjoyment and enlightenment.
Cargill donated $50,000 to the American Indian College Fund to continue the Cargill Tribal College Scholarship Program. The program provides scholarships to Native students attending tribal colleges and universities in Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
