Abstract
Tribal college and university leaders and their students thrive in geographic and social environments where conditions would otherwise predict failure for individuals and institutions. This chapter explores the connectedness of leaders to their Indigenous values. Those values center their work in the context of success and prosperity despite significant obstacles. Leadership in this nation’s tribal colleges and universities and in their communities goes beyond the hierarchy typical of most higher education institutions and communities creating widespread strategic direction rooted in values, spirituality, and relationships. Tribal colleges are the center of tribal life and their leadership emerges from a sacred place.
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- 1.
The Tribally Controlled College or University Education Assistance Act of 1978 established a definition of a tribally controlled institution to determine eligibility for federal funding. The definition is “an institution of higher education which is formally controlled, or has been formally sanctioned, or chartered, by the governing body of an Indian tribe”.
- 2.
Kinship terms, such as calling someone cousin, auntie, uncle, grandchild, or a grandparent, are common and not dependent on either blood relationship or the person actually being closely related. Kinship terms extend broadly and are a sign of respect.
- 3.
The font for the Dine language would add diacritical marks to these words creating the appropriate pronunciation. Such fonts are rarely available when printing for mainstream publication.
- 4.
Talking circles are a dialogue format using a process of passing a talking stick or feather around a circle to allow everyone to speak, sweat lodges are a small covered shelter where prayer and singing occur and steam is used for cleansing, and smudging is the use of a traditional plant such as sage or cedar to cleanse individuals and space of bad influences.
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Crazy Bull, C. (2019). Leading from the Center: Indigenous Knowledge Builds Higher Education Leaders. In: Palmer, R., Preston, D., Assalone, A. (eds) Examining Effective Practices at Minority-Serving Institutions. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16609-0_2
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