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From Abject Failures to New Horizons
The Cherokee experience during the 1830s showcased America’s epic failure to meet its trust responsibility. But it also offers a chance to learn from the past.
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The Trust Responsibility Is a Promise Best Kept
The United States has a moral, legal, and fiduciary obligation to meet its trust responsibility to tribes. Holding the federal government accountable requires advocacy, persistence, and innovative strategies.
Stephen Wall on the Trust Responsibility
The legal scholar, author, and IAIA provost explains the origins of the trust responsibility and how it pertains to tribal colleges.
The Menominee Pageant and the Semiquincentennial
As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, the Menominee Players Guild has partnered with the Smithsonian to showcase traditional cultural pageants in the renowned Woodland Bowl.
Native Summer Reads for 2026
As we prepare for the coming academic year, nothing gets the juices flowing like a great book. Here’s a selection of new publications for your summer reading list.
Amplifying Leadership Voices at the Institute of American Indian Arts
In 2025, the current administration proposed to zero out the Institute of American Indian Arts’ funding. In response, IAIA’s Office of Institutional Communications crafted a message of hope that helped gain support and ultimately save the day.
Tom Shortbull on Fundraising and Resource Development
Longtime tribal college president Tom Shortbull discusses how Oglala Lakota College built one of the most impressive endowments in all of higher education.
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Towards a Brighter Future
Tribal college leaders have always been innovative and tenacious. Such qualities were instrumental in the founding of the American Indian College Fund.
Why We Have to Keep Talking About Christopher Columbus
When the POTUS erects a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds proclaiming him the “Discoverer of America,” we need to have a conversation.
Reading Proficiencies at Tribal Colleges
The longtime Oglala Lakota College president explains why implementing reading proficiency levels helps students succeed in college and future endeavors.
Linda Sue Warner on Teacher Education
The veteran educator, author, and TCU leader offers insights into the state of teacher education at tribal colleges. Play Audio
Making the Desk Fit the Child
For generations, teacher education programs serving Native students have sought to “make the child fit the desk.” Today, tribally controlled colleges, rooted in Indigenous values, have changed that paradigm.
Five Native Films You Should Be Streaming in 2026
The films on this year’s list will undoubtedly influence conversations in classrooms, dorm rooms, living rooms, and beyond.
The Best Native Studies Books of 2025
Whether fiction, history, or memoir, great storytelling stands the test of time. Our annual list assembles some of the finest Native works published this past year.
The Stories Maps Can Inspire
Whether drawing precontact territories, defining boundaries inked in a treaty, or explaining the trust versus fee parcels on allotted land, cartography relays the consequences of diplomatic interactions.
Tom Shortbull on Advocacy
The longtime TCU leader and former South Dakota senator recalls his experiences interfacing and working with state and federal lawmakers. Play Audio
Resolute, Unified, Relentless
Being resolute, unified, and relentless is key to effective advocacy, as evidenced by the National Congress of American Indians’ monumental victory over the federal government’s Termination policy.
A Mirror with a Memory
Discovering the stories behind old photographs can reveal layers of meaning and serve as a powerful teaching tool.
Data Justice
Generations ago, Vine Deloria Jr. shook the academic establishment by trumpeting the call for greater data sovereignty. Today, tribal colleges are ideally situated to take the lead in this effort.
Sports as Communal Identity
History offers a multitude of stories about Indigenous sports, but sometimes the power of the community gets lost in the accomplishments of the individual.
Native Summer Reads for 2025
Summer—especially this summer—is a great time to delve into new Native fiction. Here are a few recommendations.
Alcatraz Is Not an Island and It Shouldn’t Be a Distraction
We can’t let unrealistic demands like the administration’s call to re-commission Alcatraz as a prison distract us from protecting the future that the Indians of All Tribes envisioned.
Jim Shanley on Trump 2.0
The TCU legend looks back on four decades of interfacing with multiple administrations, offering historical insights into the current state of federal Indian policy. Play Audio
Sharing Our Human Experience
Dizzying changes in federal Indian policy have plagued tribes’ nation-to-nation relationship with the United States. The arts and humanities offer a means to share stories and make sense of a chaotic world.
Between the Loom and the Laptop: A Tribal College Faculty Sabbatical
A National Endowment for the Humanities grant enabled one TCU professor to take a sabbatical to reconnect with her loom and complete a book manuscript.
- Native Environmental Science/Chemistry Instructor - Bellingham, WA September 4, 2026
- Tribal Governance and Business Management Faculty - Bellingham, WA September 3, 2026
- Department Chair - Tribal Governance and Business Management - Bellingham, WA September 3, 2026
- Mechanic/Instructor – 12 months - Pablo, MT September 3, 2026
- Custodian - Part-time - Pablo, MT September 3, 2026
- UCLA Department of Neurobiology Open Rank Tenure-Track/Tenured Faculty Position - Los Angeles, CA September 3, 2026
