Sheridan College observation of Native American History Month

By Clara Caufield, Northern Cheyenne Correspondent

SHERIDAN, Wyo. — At the end of November 2022, Sheridan College (SC) staff and the Native American Students Association concluded the third annual celebration of Native American History month. That was opportunity to recognize and commemorate the extraordinary contributions and accomplishments of First Nations and indigenous communities.

Donovin Sprague, Lakota from Cheyenne River, and faculty member in SC’s history department is also advisor for the Native American Student Organization. That group organizes and they wanted to put an emphasis on the tribes that were once native to the State.

“Historically, it wasn’t just our neighboring tribes like the Crow, Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Shoshone, and Sioux” he explained. “It is shown through archeological studies in the last 150 years by the U.S. Forest Service that there were 45 different tribes that utilized the Bighorn Mountains”.

To portray this history, Sprague organized a photo exhibition inside Kooi Library titled “The Unquiet Utes,” which showcased photographs taken by T.W. Tolman originally published in Collier’s Weekly in the early 1900s. These photos depicted negotiations, camps, cavalry soldiers, and the Ute Journey of 1906 when they were fleeing from the U.S. Military, trying to get to Canada.

There was also a reception at Kooi Library for the public to enjoy the exhibit on November 9.

Dr. Walt Tribley, Sheridan College’s President, expressed immense gratitude for those cultural events.

“It’s a part of our highest values to share consideration and appreciation of our local history with our community,” said Dr. Tribley. “I want to thank the faculty, staff, students, and community members who joined us in this commemoration.”

To conclude the celebration, Sprague organized a presentation by Eva Flying, new President of Chief Dull Knife College at Northern Cheyenne, first woman to occupy this role.

During her presentation, Flying admitted she started her education at Casper College and then transferred to the University of Montana but lacked focus and did not find herself career driven. When she decided to pursue higher education again, she arrived at Sheridan College, to which she attributed much of her success.

An outstanding athlete, Flying played basketball on a scholarship. “I opened the gym at the Golden Dome in the mornings, and then I would shut down the library at night,” she recalled. “Those are the values that I still hold with my job in health and education.”

“We never stop learning, and that sounds like a cliché, but we never do,” Flying said. “When I was at Sheridan, I learned that I’m driven, I’m motivated, I can set goals, and I can achieve them, and from there, I have never stopped learning.”

Sprague said he asked Flying to present because of the obstacles she faced growing up on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.

“Dropout rates within high school students on reservations are astronomical,” Sprague said. “I believe we need to instill in our students and future generations that success is possible by showing someone whom they can identify with; I’ve realized that’s what it’s all about — helping your own people. We need to let them know that college and additional goals are possible”.

Sprague said that currently, Native students enrolled at Sheridan Community College are mostly, but not all Crow, Shoshone, Arapaho, and Northern Cheyenne. While many are on-campus students, many others learn from on-line classes, thus it is difficult to get an accurate count.

Sprague advises the Native American Students Association is comprised of more than thirty students which helps organize the Native History Month project and other Native American events at the college.

“They are very important to our efforts to build better relationships between races in this community,” he noted.

(Contact Clara Caufield at acheyennevoice@gmail. com)

The post Sheridan College observation of Native American History Month first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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