As part of the College Fund’s initiative, United Tribes Technical College developed new art classes, enabling students like Dominque Brien to produce her notable painting Butterfly Eyes (above).

The American Indian College Fund’s Native Arts Program was renewed with a $2.4 million dollar grant provided by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies. The Choin Cha Ha Poo Chew Chew Wha Von Nom: Beading Cultural Knowledge Together grant will continue to support tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to develop and refine Native arts curricula and offer community-based workshops for students and community members.

Now in its fifth grant cycle, the Native Arts and Culture Program continues the College Fund’s commitment to expanding community-centered arts programming, uplifting cultural knowledge keepers, and fostering vibrant Indigenous pedagogy across TCU campuses. TCUs provide accessible Native arts and culture programming based on traditional knowledge, language, and culture to their communities while supporting student and community artists by sharing Indigenous artistic tools and methods to expand their cultural knowledge and skills.

Previous activities funded by the program are as diverse as the Native communities that the tribal colleges serve. United Tribes Technical College, located in Bismarck, North Dakota, developed curricula for seven Native Arts courses during their grant period. Iḷisaġvik College, located in northern Alaska, recorded lessons to preserve traditional knowledge about cultural practices such as scrimshaw (ivory carving on walrus tusk), fish-skin tanning, doll making, and baleen basketry. Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, hosted workshops to teach how to create cattail mats and play traditional stick games. Aaniiih Nakoda College in Harlem, Montana, hosted workshops about hand-drum making, quilling, breast-plate making, star quilting, and traditional doll making that created space for community members to gather and expand their cultural knowledge.

Tribal colleges located in Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin are eligible to participate in the program. Grants will be awarded to up to six TCUs for curriculum development and to up to 12 TCUs for community grants. Each grant award is for three years.

Chery Crazy Bull, president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, said, “Native arts are a physical representation of Indigenous ways of being and relationship to all around us. Native arts programming, such as Beading Cultural Knowledge Together, is critical for uplifting the voices of our artists whose work combines wisdom and beauty as it helps to sustain our communities.”

Jerica Leavitt is an associate professor of Iñupiaq studies at Iḷisaġvik College who grew up in the community and was a student in the program before she began her career in the department 13 years ago. She said students from the North Slope villages who attended the cultural camp in 2024 still talk with excitement about their experience on the land and what they learned about the traditional ways of catching and cutting fish for food and preparing the skin for leather.