Like the Thunderbird of old, I shall rise again out of the sea; I shall grab the instruments of the white man’s success—his education, his skills, and with these new tools I shall build my race into the proudest segment of your society. — Chief Dan George, hereditary chief of the Coastal Salish, 1967

For thousands of years, Native nations have found the ability to adapt to their surroundings in order to survive. One of the most cited examples is that of the Cherokee Nation. Following conquest, they transitioned from hunters to farmers, devised a constitution, and wrote down their language. Despite such adaptations, many Americans began calling for their removal. U.S. President Andrew Jackson remarked that Indians “have neither the intelligence, the industry, the moral habits nor the desire of improvement which are essential to any favorable change in their condition,” using such claims as justificationn for the removal of the Cherokee and other tribes from their traditional homelands.

Even after the trauma of forced relocation along the Trail of Tears, principal chief John Ross believed his people would not die out. He was determined that they preserve their ways. Maintaining their sovereignty, the Cherokee people persevered because they were able to adjust to the world around them while keeping their identity. Today, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are employing a variety of methods to preserve culture and maintain Native identity. Large and small, TCUs across North America are incorporating the Internet and other technologies into their classes with great success. They are reconnecting the elders with the young and passing on their cultural knowledge to the next generation.

At Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College (SCTC) in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, tribal knowledge is integrated into college curriculum. In mainstream courses like English and public speaking, students learn how course content relates to Native American traditions. By introducing Native knowledge while teaching Western topics, students are exposed to two different ways of thinking.

Sarah Prielipp, an English instructor at SCTC, says she tries to incorporate cultural knowledge into composition and public speaking courses through assignments and guest speakers. “One assignment invites students to explore and record their family literacy and is accompanied by a guest speaker on Indian boarding schools. The Seven Grandfather teachings are incorporated in our liberal arts capstone and in assignments on plagiarism and academic integrity. Readings come from a variety of sources and authors, [and] storytelling is taught in public speaking with a guest speaker,” she explains.

Prielipp is not affiliated with any tribe, and does not attempt to teach sacred cultural knowledge in the classroom. Instead she relies on Native leaders in the community around her.That philosophy is shared by many at SCTC and other TCUs.

PLAY ON WORDS. Students at Wind River Tribal College transcribe plays into Arapaho. Photo by Joe Lopez

Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) in Macy, Nebraska, embraces technology in the preservation of cultural knowledge, which fits right into the core values of the school. Part of NICC’s mission states, “Cultural preservation, and revitalization with the Umonhon (Omaha) and Isanti (Santee Sioux) peoples’ needs, including languages and tribal knowledge, are key elements of the college.” NICC offers classes in Native American studies, Dakota language, and Omaha language at their three campuses in Macy, Santee, and South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Dr. Michael Oltrogge, president of NICC, commented that the college was preserving—and protecting—traditional knowledge, primarily through taped transcriptions and other electronic processes. “The college utilizes electronic recording methods, interactive video for instruction, as well as PowerPoint in an attempt to make things more meaningful. The college’s Native studies programs are the primary ones who complete the recordings.” Oltrogge added that the content of these recordings is carefully discussed, determining “what sacred knowledge should be recorded and who has access” to it.

Just to the east, on the Winnebago reservation, Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC) is also forging an academic setting informed by traditional culture and knowledge. LPTC was established by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska to fulfill the goal of its namesake, who famously stated, “Be strong and educate my children.”

Marisa Cummings, a public relations and recruitment specialist at LPTC, talked about the class “Sacred Existence,” which the Indigenous Studies Department offers on a regular basis. “As an academic class, traditional sacred practices are not taught to the students, but a general overview and understanding of revitalization movements and the contrast with Western religion is taught,” she says. “As an institution of higher learning, we incorporate Winnebago language, history, traditional games, and other elements of culture in our daily experience at the college. We understand that traditional ways of medicine [are] passed down through a very private process. We offer language classes where elders teach the classes.”

LPTC offers both Indigenous studies and Indigenous science degrees that require courses in Native culture. Further, Ho-Chunk history and language are incorporated into the college’s core curriculum, giving all students a firm cultural grounding.

Like LPTC, Wind River Tribal College (WRTC) also offers students a curriculum rooted in cultural tradition. Located in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, WRTC’s mission statement reads: “Wind River is dedicated to the preservation, continuation, and protection of tribal self-determination, language, and culture.” On its website, the college employs abundant use of the Arapaho language to introduce visitors to its campus. And like so many other TCUs, technology and culture go hand-in-hand to help students learn the Arapaho language.

INFUSING CULTURE. Courses such as Law and American Indian Religious Freedom at Haskell Indian Nations University blend Native and Western knowledge. Photo by Rhonda LeValdo-Gayton

WRTC registrar Joseph Lopez says the school actually dismantled its computer lab for a mobile lab that has iPads and laptops available for students. “The students link to an Arapaho dictionary…We also bring in consultants who teach Arapaho language and studies. They help with not just language, but certain songs, and we try to do cross curriculum with math and learning the language as well.”

Fort Berthold Community College (FBCC) in New Town, North Dakota, highlights culture in its mission statement as well, declaring, “The Fort Berthold Community College will provide quality cultural, academic, and vocational education and services for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.”

As testament to this, language instructors are creating smartphone apps to supplement their courses. Vice-president of student services, Dr. Twyla Baker- Demaray (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), says, “One of our most endangered languages, Nueta (Mandan), is only spoken by one person in the tribe now. There has been an initiative for a few years to record and revitalize the language amongst our people, and the app is a part of that.” FBCC offers a baccalaureate program in Native American studies, which incorporates culture while giving students depth in research, history, and tribal governance. Baker-Demaray notes that the Native American studies department “is currently conducting and recording interviews with tribal elders and historians as a means to preserve the extant tribal knowledge, before it disappears.”

For environmental science students, ethnobotany courses tie together traditional ecological knowledge with Western scientific methods. Regular guest speakers and visitors include elders of the tribes who come and share their knowledge with students, faculty, staff, and the general public. The All Chiefs Society, an FBCC student organization, builds on these efforts through community outreach and cultural events for the entire community.

While the college works to preserve culture through such initiatives, faculty at FBCC also seek to correct misconceptions about the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. “We are an oral history tribe, though much has been written about all three tribes by various anthropologists in rather famous publications. Understanding the ethnocentric slant that exists within these publications can be difficult,” Baker- Demaray explains.

The slant of those non-Native studies raises a variety of questions, she maintains. “Is what this person said and what they recorded, truly what was going on? How did their world view influence their observances?” she asks. “Then, of course, you have the issues of interpretation by our own people. We had a number of different villages up and down the Missouri River, and with that comes different language dialects. One elder might say something one way, one might say it another. Who is correct? These issues can be downright disheartening and confusing to first-time learners. Still, it is important—critical—that we try.” This is just another challenge that faculty at TCUs face when it comes to teaching the younger generation.

At Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, instructors in the Indigenous and American Indian Studies Department grapple with how best to integrate sensitive cultural knowledge into the curriculum. Professor Mike Stewart (Choctaw), who teaches Law and American Indian Religious Freedom, argues, “Most tribal colleges are institutions that allow Native students the freedom and space to practice parts of their tribal religions as necessary and possible. I believe most folks on campus are respectful on the limits to sacred knowledge and when to ask for permission to record.” Stewart also asserts that cooperative efforts in sharing knowledge are important because past programs have misused sacred knowledge.

Still, so long as the proper precautions are taken, technology can be employed to help in the preservation of culture. Speech/communication instructor Lori Tapahonso uses recording devices to help her students in public speaking courses. Many assignments require students to identify specific customs, beliefs, and teachings that have shaped their identity. “The first presentation is called ‘Cultural Introduction.’ This encourages students to identify one specific element of their culture. If my students are not connected to their tribal cultures, then this becomes an opportunity to do research and begin to explore an unknown element of their identity.” Speeches are recorded, but Tapahonso states that she always gets permission to use them beforehand.

Tapahonso feels the biggest obstacle confronting instructors is that some students don’t know anything about their tribal communities. “Sadly, for those students who are disconnected, for whatever reasons, we are that safe bridge back to their culture. We can remind them of a heritage that they may have yet to discover.” And at Haskell Indian Nations University, technology is aiding in that effort.

In the book, The Renaissance of American Indian Higher Education: Capturing the Dream, Henrietta Mann and Maenette Benham talk about the impact of using cultural and tribal leaders in the classroom. “Cultural scholars (including elders and tribal/community leaders) must take leading, teaching, and mentoring roles…remembering, however, that for some communities, certain traditional subjects can be taught only by appropriate people and at appropriate times. Integrating traditional culture is self-validating for Native students and knowing how Native knowledge has contributed to the overall well-being of mainstream society can enrich students’ self-identities.”

Today’s technology can be a strong ally in preserving and protecting tribal knowledge. When instructors use it respectfully and distinguish between what can be shared and what needs to be kept internal, they open the door for the John Ross’s of today. At TCUs, integrating cultural knowledge lessons into general education courses and taking full advantage of what technology has to offer allows students to learn about their own tribal history and themselves—helping Native nations keep their history alive for generations to come.

Rhonda LeValdo-Gayton (Acoma Pueblo) is faculty in media communications at Haskell Indian Nations University.