The
NIHEWAN FOUNDATION
for Native American Education
The word "Nihewan" comes from the
Cree language and means "talk Cree",
which implies "Be Your Culture".
The Nihewan Foundation for Native American Education is a small
private non-profit foundation dedicated improving the education
of and about Native American people and cultures. Nihewans
focus is to help Native American students to participate in learning,
while also helping people of all backgrounds learn about Native
American culture.
For over 30 years, the Nihewan Foundation has sponsored students,
two of whom have gone on to become Tribal College presidents who
help other Native American scholars to reach their full potentials,
while including their cultures every step of the way.
Our approach is three-fold:
- support
college bound students
- prepare
lower grade students for future college enrollment
- and promote
a better, more accurate understanding of the roles of Native peoples
past, present and future in the global community,
including their own.
Specific interest
includes support for Native American educators, and education professionals
of all backgrounds in the field of Native American studies, including
administration and curriculum development through Teacher Training
programs.
The Foundation's first and second initiatives serve targeted audiences.
However, experience has shown that the entire global community is
hungry to be more accurately informed about indigenous people, their
cultures and their contributions. Therefore, through international
networking forums focused on culture and education, magazine articles,
websites, multimedia, film festivals, speaking engagements, and
the production of educational materials as well as edutainment,
the Nihewan Foundation shares relevant, engaging information about
Native peoples.
Founded by singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1969 as a very
specific non-profit educational organization, the Nihewan Foundation
has helped significantly to educate both Indian and non-Indian educators
and students. But the road to college from reservation grade
school through graduation is underfunded. As well, accuracy
about Native American cultures needs to be available to all students
at all grade levels. This is the work of the Nihewan Foundation.
Learn
your culture Teach Your Culture BE YOUR CULTURE
©2001 Nihewan
Foundation
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