About Us

Old Sun Community College has an important responsibility to enhance the sovereignty and Nationhood of Siksika. With an open heart and mind, Old Sun Community College respects diverse ways of life as it promotes the lifelong learning of Siksika culture, language, history and knowledge to our future generations.

Sik-si-ka-wa Ii-kai-sa-ka-kii-tsim-yaa-wa Nii-pai-ta-pii-wah-sin, Si-ksi-kai’po-wah-sin, So-ksiis-ta-wa-tsi-maan

Old Sun Community College is a First Nation, Board governed college operating as a comprehensive and non profit community institution. Operating on the Siksika Nation, our college provides broad programming including certificates, diplomas, foundational learning, and upgrading programs. Our programs are learner centered, outcome focused, and designed to provide graduates with opportunities to improve thier quality of life, prepare for further education and advance their chosen careers.

Old Sun Community College programs are primarily focused on post-secondary education, information technology, Siksika Knowledge studies and foundational learning programs including adult literacy, and academic upgrading.

As a comprehensive community college with local and regional stewardship responsibilities, we collaborate with other educational organizations, business, and community agencies to influence our expertise and to the economic and social well-being of our community and our province.

As a community college, we have a special focus on creating educational opportunities for Indigenous peoples, international learners, persons with disabilities, older employees, non-nation employees, at risk youth, and the unemployed and underemployed in our community. Our curriculum and support services reflect the diversity of our learners.

To meet emerging workforce needs and to improve the quality of life for our students in our community, our programs, curricula, and educational services are customized to meet the specific requirements of industries, educators, communities, and workplaces locally, regionally, territorial, provincially, nationally and internationally.

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The name Old Sun has been associated with formal education on the Blackfoot Reserve for generations. Old Sun was a revered medicine man and was leader of one of the largest of the Blackfoot Confederacy bands, largely because of his success as a warrior.

Old Sun was born in central Alberta around 1819. He died in 1897 on the North Camp Flats on the Siksika Reserve near Gleichen. Naato’saapi was said to have received his spiritual powers from a deer during a vision quest experience. He was also known for curing blindness with a sacred amulet.

Unlike many other chiefs, Old Sun did not turn to the role of peacemaker with age, but continued the life of the warrior. His wife, Calf Old Woman, was also a renowned warrior and one of the few women to take a place in the Siksika warrior society.

In the Treaty 7 negotiations, Old Sun, the warrior, deferred to the Siksika chief of the time, Crowfoot, but signed the treaty for his band. His followers settled north of Crowfoot’s band at North Camp Flats.

Old Sun himself was not much interested in farming but assumed the role of patriarch and remained a much-respected medicine man and spiritual leader. He tolerated missionaries on his reserve but never converted to Christianity himself.

Chief Old Sun’s Blackfoot name was literally ‘Sun Elder’ or ‘Sun Old Man’. In the Blackfoot language, it was Naato’saapi. The first two syllables refer to the sun. The final two syllables of the name mean grey or white hair of an old man. They also aesthetically imply ‘to see’, as in to gain insight.

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In 1883 Reverend John W. Tims of the Church of England was sent to establish a mission among the Blackfoot Indians. He met with Chief Old Sun who allowed him to build a cabin which became the first school which was eventually named after Chief Old Sun. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed the school.

The present brick building was built in 1929 and the Anglican Church continued to operate the school until the 1950s when the federal government took over. The 1960s signalled a new era in Native Indian Education. A move was made to integrate students into the public school system through bussing. As the Old Sun School became vacant, the Blackfoot leaders identified a possible use for the building as an adult learning centre.

As a result, Old Sun Community College began operations as an adult institution on September 20, 1971 and then incorporated as Old Sun Society on March 21, 1973. At first, the College was operated as a satellite campus of Mount Royal College, but in 1978, it became an independent institution run by the Blackfoot Nation. In 1988, the Old Sun College Act was passed in the Alberta Legislature transforming Old Sun Community College into a First Nations College.