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FLC and DIHFS officials hope this visit will be the first in a series of regular, quarterly stops. 

This year, 20 FLC students participated in All Our Kin Collective Summer Institute, a two-week program promoting excitement and love for Native Languages. Guided by instructors and tribal elders, students used songs, animated videos, and cultural activities to learn (and teach) Diné, Ute, and Lakota.

More than 80 graduates participated in this year's Diversity Collaborative Graduation Celebration. The Collaborative includes the Black Students Center, the El Centro de Muchos Colores, the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Native American Center.

Under the theme “Embracing our Identities,” Fort Lewis College is hosting the 58th annual Hozhoni Powwow at FLC, the longest-running cultural celebration. 

The 57th annual Hozhoni Days drew a historic crowd of nearly 2,000 people to Whalen Gymnasium. Three vibrant events spanning March 29-31 celebrated Indigenous culture, history, and traditions woven into FLC’s fabric. It was a blur of scholarship exhibits, powwow competitions, and bustling vendor stalls. But at its core, Hozhoni Days provided a time for people to gather, dance, sing, heal, and celebrate traditions that are thousands of years old.

Fort Lewis College honored its Indigenous students, staff, and faculty on Indigenous Peoples' Day on October 10, 2022.

After 20 years of service and millions of dollars in grants to FLC and the Native American Center, the John & Sophie Ottens Foundation is winding down operations, imparting one final gift to the NAC - the largest single cash gift in FLC history.

Fourteen FLC students spent their spring break getting some sun – but rather than soaking it up on a beach, they harnessed it to help power a remote community on the Navajo Nation in central New Mexico. Six Engineering students and eight student volunteers from a variety of disciplines spent the first week in March installing solar systems on the Counselor Chapter’s chapter house and on three residences.

Shandíín, the Navajo word for "sunbeam", documents their powerful work in service of others.

Beyond just the opportunity to share knowledge with other institutions, Fort Lewis College came away from the summit with one of 11 $10,000 grants, thanks to the Lumina Foundation. The funding will go toward FLC initiatives designed to help Native Americans and Alaska Natives find educational success.

For 2018, the Hozhoni Days Powwow will be April 13-14. The Grand Entry will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, preceded by the Gourd Dance at 5 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a Gourd Dance at 11 a.m. followed by Grand Entry at 1 p.m. A second Gourd Dance will take place at 5 p.m., with a second Grand Entry at 7 p.m.

The Real History of the Americas takes a positive, but different look at the history of North and South America from the viewpoints of Hispanic, African-American, Asian, Native and LGBT peoples, among others. The 2017 theme is “Honoring the Heartbeat of our Mother,” and will feature indigenous drumming, traditional foods, lectures, art, theatre and storytelling.

She is replacing retiring Native American Center Director Yvonne Bilinski. She’ll also oversee the College’s Diversity Collaborative, which includes the Native American Center, El Centro de Muchos Colores, and the Office of Diversity Programming.

Fort Lewis College has an average of 1200 Native students each semester. Over 150 different tribes/nations are represented by our students who are traditional and non-traditional, single, single parents, or couples with children.

These students are served in their needs through the Native American Center. The Center is a friendly and inviting place to come and study, socialize, participate in academic support programs, utilize resources, or attend cultural programs and activities.