WETLAND STEWARDS. Fond du Lac students Phil Defoe and Cliff Langely study plants as part of their stewardship of the St. Louis River. Photo by Jonathan Chapman Photography

Ron Klein, plant and soil specialist at Fort Berthold Community College, walks through the college’s community garden and checks the corn crop on this late summer day. It has been hot and dry in New Town, ND, for weeks, and Klein checks for moisture by running a handful of soil through his fingers.

Weeks before, young and old had planted corn and potatoes and then watered and weeded them through the summer. Now, as harvest approaches, Klein is preparing to celebrate the community’s efforts by giving the garden’s produce to the tribal elders.

Fort Berthold Community College is a 1994 Land Grant Institution, and through its community garden, it is teaching tribal members how to eat well and exercise, while also strengthening relationships within the community.

As the year 2004 unfolds, we commemorate the 10-year anniversary of tribal college land grant status by reflecting upon the past and contemplating the future. How have the 1994 Land Grant Institutions developed a unique land grant identity over the past decade? Looking forward, what are the critical needs for Indian people in the coming years, and how can land grant status help meet those needs?

Originally in 1862, land grant status involved federal grants of land to state colleges and universities, who then typically sold their tracts of land to finance education in the “agricultural and mechanical arts” (First Morrill Act of 1862).

By the 1990s, however, the land grant concept had undergone about 130 years of development. The federal government provided direct grant funds to colleges and universities instead of land.

The scope of the land grant mission had grown to include the family and consumer sciences, rural development, food sciences, sociology, and many other disciplines. Its reach stretched throughout all 50 states, to U.S. territories overseas, and to 18 historically black colleges and universities.

Yet, after nearly a century and a half, the existing land grant system had failed to adequately address the needs of indigenous peoples of this country. In the late 20th century, American Indian communities still struggled socially and economically, with little benefit from the millions of federal dollars that annually supported the land grant system.

Tribal Colleges Gain Status

In the winter of 1994, Congress passed the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act. Excitement and hope filled tribal colleges and universities. Earlier that year, American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) President Margarett Perez (Assiniboine), Salish Kootenai College President Joe McDonald (Salish/Kootenai), and others had testified before Congress that agriculturally-related education was vital, given the 55 million acres of American Indian land, of which 90% was used for agriculture or forestry.

McDonald said then that land grant status “represents one of the first, important steps toward rebuilding tribal economies and Indian people’s health with tribal colleges at the vanguard.” After nearly 130 years of waiting, land grant status promised to help generate prosperity and well being for tribal communities.

The land grant concept was new to tribal colleges; land grant departments were non-existent; and contemporary models of land grant programs were steeped in the culture and inequalities of the dominant society.

From the beginning, tribal colleges created new models. Early land grant projects reflected the core of the tribal college missions: culture and community. News of successful extension programs began to appear. By 1998, for instance, Salish Kootenai College (Pablo, MT) explored native plant species on the Flathead Reservation; Bay Mills Community College (Brimley, MI) focussed on at-risk youths; and Cheyenne River Community College (Eagle Butte, SD) incorporated bison into educational curriculum.

These tribal college land grant programs differed fundamentally from the dominant land grant paradigm. First, by embedding culture into land grant activities, tribal colleges ensured that their programs would be sensitive to cultural norms like inter-relatedness, environmental stewardship, and holistic well being.

Projects linked elderly mentors with youth; sought to protect the land; and addressed the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of health. Secondly, land grant programs responded to tribal communities with problem-orientated solutions directly benefiting Indian people. Tribal colleges did not have time for theoretical pursuits when youth suicides, environmental degradation, and diabetes affected their communities.

While traditional “cows and plows” agriculture retains importance in land grant programs, the tribal college land grant vision encompasses much more: programs related to youth, diet, and the arts, household financial education, rural tourism, and international export marketing.

The complex questions raised by tribal communities today require increasingly sophisticated inter-disciplinary solutions that might link, for instance, an agricultural solution with technology, sociology, or economics. For instance, Fort Berthold’s garden combines diet and health training with youth development and elder care.

Today, the 1994 Land Grant Institutions administer sophisticated, multi-institutional programs that integrate teaching, community outreach, and applied research. For example, the Woodlands Wisdom Confederation, a partnership of seven tribal colleges, addresses diet-related health problems.

The St. Louis River Watch Project at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College (Cloquet, MN) monitors water quality, involving students from 26 local schools located along the river. The Institute of American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM) develops youth leadership through cultural activities in basket weaving, drum making, songs, and dances.

Looking Forward

What does the future of a tribal college land grant vision look like? In the near term, several priorities are clear. Since diabetes and obesity continue to plague Indian Country, the 1994 Land Grant Institutions will devote considerable resources toward preventing these diseases through community outreach and applied research.

Tribal youth, who represent the future of tribal nations, face immense challenges with few role models and many conflicting societal messages. They need leadership development programs.

Tribal economies lag far behind the mainstream, and programs that emphasize sustainable community development are needed. Finally, land stewardship remains important in a tribal college land grant vision, as well as natural resource and environmental studies.

In the longer term, emerging issues will undoubtedly help shape an evolving tribal college land grant vision. For instance, homeland security and food safety currently demand attention.

Globalization of agriculture and commerce are bringing societies together, and tribal colleges are uniquely positioned to mediate these cross-cultural interactions. Tribal college land grant professionals have participated in scientific and cultural exchanges around the world to help bridge understanding between indigenous and Western knowledge systems.

Finally, as predicted a decade ago, the 1994 land grant institutions will remain at the vanguard of tribal nations’ efforts to respond to the critical questions of Indian people. The hope and excitement of 1994 are still thriving today, embodied in the dedicated tribal college land grant professionals and in their communities.

John L. Phillips has been the USDA/AIHEC liaison since 2000. He holds a Ph.D. degree in rural sociology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His recent article, “A Tribal College Land Grant Perspective: Changing the Conversation” (2003, Journal of American Indian Education, 42(1):22-35), provides additional information on the 1994 land grant institutions.