Tacoma Community College SKIN (Student Koalition of Indian Natives) ephemera

In March 1973, indigenous TCC students first began efforts to form a native student organization on campus, and were encouraged by tribal and minority advisors to form an Indian Educational Advisory Board. The students first organized as the Native American Council (NAC), but there is little record of the group in the following years until January 1976, when the council sought to separately establish a student club.

A year later, the Student Koalition for Indian Natives (SKIN) appeared, and although it is unclear if SKIN had any relation to the NAC, the fact that in February 1977 SKIN sought to form an Indian student affairs office suggests that the NAC had already disappeared by their formation. SKIN almost immediately announced plans for a "12-hour pow-wow" in March, which became a full Native American Week event featuring speakers such as activists Ramona Bennett (Puyallup) and John Trudell (Dakota; American Indian Movement [AIM] chairman), films, and a theater production by an all-native troupe.

SKIN was an active and outspoken group on campus. With the Spanish-speaking/Chicano student organization Los Unidos, SKIN protested the TCC drama production of The Fantasticks for its racist stereotypes. Several years later, SKIN protested the campus lecture by author Ruth Beebe Hill, who was promoting her book Hanta Yo, panned by many native groups as inaccurate and offensive.

SKIN appears to have ceased activity after Spring 1980. Later indigenous student groups have been the Native American Club (circa 1980s-1990s) and the Native American Student Union (circa 2000s-current, with gaps of inactivity).

Sources: "Happenings," Collegiate Challenge 11: no. 12 (January 30, 1976): 7, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/1954. “Indian movement chairman speaks at TCC,” Collegiate Challenge [12]: no. 16 (March 11, 1977): 6, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/2004.

"Indians try for TCC club," Collegiate Challenge 8: no. 18 (March 9, 1973): 2, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/1806.

Eve Dumovich, "Events for the Month of March" (news release), February 7, 1977, Tacoma Community College Department of Marketing and Communications records, TCCA-008, Tacoma Community College Archives.

Steve Grandle, "Ramona Bennett speaks on Indian rights," Collegiate Challenge [12]: no. 16 (March 11, 1977): 6, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/2004.

Jose Longoria, "Ost named temporary NAC chairman," Collegiate Challenge 8: no. 22 (April 27, 1973): 8, extref>.

TCC SKIN Club, "Ruth Beebee [sic] Hill: 'Hanta yo' causes 'Red alert,'" Collegiate Challenge 26: no. [15] (February 29, 1980): 3, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/2156.

Lila Vigil, "'The Fantasticks': Indians scoff at 'racist' play," Collegiate Challenge [12]: no. 21 (May 6, 1977): 1, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/2008.

Lorne Wood, "Program Board plans for a busy year," Collegiate Challenge 12: no. 9 (January 30, 1976): 2, https://tccdigitalcollections.libraryhost.com/s/main/item/1997.