Celebrating 40 years, the tribal college movement remains committed to sustaining native culture, language and community, officials say.

Diné, the very first tribal college in the United States, and the tribal college movement are both celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. Diné College president Ferlin Clark says the formation of the institution was a sacred act.

Tribal college leaders agree that the movement is, indeed, deeply rooted in American Indian spirituality and culture. As an example, Clark recalls an oft-told story about the groundbreaking ceremony for the Navajo Community College, now Diné College.

In 1968, U.S. Representative Wayne Aspinall, D-Colo., reluctantly attended the college’s groundbreaking ceremony. He had been an outspoken critic of tribally controlled education and was loathe to lend any appearance of support to the Navajo’s efforts. During the ceremony, Diné medicine man Charlie Benally offered up many prayers, including those of the Blessing Way, which signal a renewal of spirit, an honoring of the past and thanksgiving to the elements for life and hope for the future. As Benally prayed, he invited Aspinall to join him in holding the ceremonial Navajo digging stick or “gish.” After the ceremony, a deeply moved Aspinall is reported to have said to Dr. Robert Roessel, one of the founders of the college, “I have been to mosques; I have been to synagogues; I have been to churches all over the world, but I felt God when I held that stick. You will get your college.”

Aspinall became a vocal supporter of the Navajo Community College Act that became law in 1971. The act allowed federal funds to be appropriated directly to the tribe rather than through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This legislation established an invaluable precedent for tribally controlled education.

The seeds of the movement were sown many decades before the debut of the Navajo Community College. Indeed, since native peoples began attending mainstream U.S. colleges and universities 350 years ago, they have sought to put their own spin on education, according to the report of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.