A herd of sheep graze peacefully outside the library of Dine College on a recent afternoon as a student casually strolls by with a laptop case in his right hand.
“This is awesome,” says an enthused Ferlin Clark, president of the college, as he sees the image from a distance.
For Clark, the immediate image is symbolic of the school’s purpose: to provide a balance between traditional Navajo knowledge and Western education.
The sight of sheep wandering outside campus facilities is unique for a college, but then again, nothing about Dine College is ordinary.
Everything from the deliberate placement of the buildings, reflecting the shape and concept of a traditional hogan, to the college’s arrowhead emblem, symbolizing protection, has a strong Navajo philosophy embedded in it.
Since the groundbreaking of the school on April 13, 1971, implementing a Navajo viewpoint into the curriculum has been a top goal for educators. Dine’s core classes also include Navajo language, culture, history, philosophy and government.
“That’s what makes us unique as a tribal college,” says Clark.
