North Dakota Tribal Colleges Need to Keep Healing as Part of Offerings According to Academic Official

Cankdeska Cikana Community College. (Photo courtesy of National Application Center via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen – Prairie News Service) North Dakota higher-ed official is part of a new research summary which showed to keep these campuses on the right track, their ability to confront historical trauma has to be highlighted. The American Indian College Fund this month issued its eighth volume of a journal promoting the academic work of tribal faculty.

Cynthia Lindquist, director of tribal initiatives and collaboration for the University of North Dakota, co-authored a section in the latest version. At a time when the Trump administration proposes steep cuts to their funding, she feels the public is still largely unaware of tribal colleges and universities and how unique they are.

“TCUs are very, very good at helping students to better understand who they are as Indigenous people and the place of that within the broader context of the world, government systems and that they can thrive,” Lindquist explained.

Lindquist pointed out the schools are neutral and offer classes on in-demand careers, while allowing Native students to learn about their culture. She argued healing instruction, stemming from the lingering effects of colonization, should be part of it. Some other scholars are skeptical, saying it perpetuates harmful narratives.