A case for LBHC’s Cultural Learning Center
{child_byline}STAFF EDITORIAL{/child_byline}
Little Big Horn College is preparing to raise funds for a significant expansion to campus, which will progress the College’s efforts to preserve the history and language of the Crow people.
The three-phased, two-storied Cultural Learning Center will add 43,000 square feet of dedicated space for cultural events and communal gathering, as well as opportunity for increased interaction with the wealth of knowledge that the College carries — and the knowledge that the Crow community carries — in an effort to both share and grow it.
Organizing college faculty are preparing to raise funds for the approximately $17 million build, but they are starting the project by renovating the Cultural Learning Lodge, which is located beside the library, and they are seeking congressional funding for a portion of the build. The purpose of this Editorial article is to support the College by demonstrating a need for the funds.
In full transparency with readers, this Editorial opinion is written by the Editor of the BHCN. The BHCN does not at this time have a designated Editorial Board, although this article was reviewed by multiple staff members.
The first phase of the Cultural Learning Center is set to build a Crow hall of fame, a gathering room for elders, and a gift shop. The building will connect with the two-story main building, as well as the existing library. The case for building these components into the entryway of the new, main facility is intentional.
Gathering spaces for elders in Crow Agency are few and far between, and physical spaces for elders that are geared towards cultural and linguistic preservation are even fewer — besides the new arbor, as a shining example. The entryway will serve as an especially social area of the new cultural center, encouraging Crow language to be spoken and interaction with elders.
While the College owns space in the way of its current Cultural Learning Lodge; the building deserves an updating so that when it is complete, the space will house furnishings and rooms that are built specifically to serve a needed purpose in the community.
The Crow hall of fame will likely host a rotating roster of Crow leaders. The gift shop will allow for an additional market in the community for Native artisans to display and sell wares. Most importantly, the elder room will provide a comfortable space for elders to commune, and hopefully to share stories and knowledge with young people.
Imagine taking a field trip to experience history told in an environment that is like a museum, yes — but also a space that encourages interactivity with the people who carry those oral stories who are willing to share it with broader audiences. When we share cultural experiences, it satisfies a thirst for curious minds and it ensures that history is told, rather than forgotten.
Following the pandemic and the losses that our community saw; it is more important now than ever to preserve the wisdom and knowledge of ancestral history. In a parallel stroke, the Crow community wants to combat the fact that fewer than 15% of Crow children can speak the language fluently.
As for the LBHC’s role in the preservation; they have taken strides over the years to operate as a center for cultural and linguistic preservation — such as with their involvement in creating a Crow language dictionary that collected 14,000 words from over 60 elders, a source said.
The College has also for 17 years hosted weekly lectures that are open to the public, focusing on local, cultural topics. Organizers say that feedback is getting so thoughtful that they are considering offering a microphone to public attendees who ask questions, so that they can be heard alongside the presenter on web streams.
LBHC also recently launched a website that houses their archives in a user-friendly manner. At the time of an Oct. 6, 2022 BHCN report, the College had digitized and uploaded over 1,200 audio and video items, or 27.2 terabytes worth, as part of a seven-year effort for the full-time Audio-Visual Technician.
These archives can help to fill in gaps that may be missing in family histories, even, such as when a young man visited the library searching for information about his grandfather. He was able to find his grandfather’s Indian name and schooling records. Can you put a price on that?
The College’s documental efforts deserve funding for a fresh home that will be exciting and informative for local communities and for people who aim to learn about Native history. This cultural learning center will serve as a natural next-step to the College’s efforts.
If that weren’t enough, the new center will also serve as an economic draw for visitors — making the County a greater destination point for history buffs and wanderlust travelers alike.
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