Red Crow Community College

Red Crow Community College is a college located on the Kainai Nation reserve in southern Alberta, Canada with a campus in Lethbridge.

History

Red Crow Community College was founded in 1986. It was placed under the direction of the Blood Tribe Education Committee, and started as an adult education center. The curriculum at first had two high school courses (UCEPP), one University of Lethbridge course, and a study skills component.

On 6 January 1992, Marie Smallface Marule became president of the college. She generated an expansion of the college and its offerings. In early 1995 the college became the first Tribal College in Canada. Its tribal board of governors was officially sanctioned by the Blood tribe chief and council, and they took over governance for education from the Kainaiwa Board of Education.

Curriculum

Red Crow Community College offers diploma and degree programs in partnership with the universities of Calgary and Lethbridge. It also provides adult upgrading, continuing, and community education. Red Crow Community College has recently added the Kainai Studies department, which had a unique curriculum based in the Blackfoot/Kainai/Blood worldview. This recent addition to Red Crow Community College addresses the need to educate Kainai members and others about the lifeways and philosophy of the Niitsitapi (the Blackfoot-language autonym, their name for themselves, meaning "real" or "natural" people).

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