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Preserving the Rich History of the Blackfeet Nation
By: Sharon Poor - Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Source: Schoolfacilities.com
With 600 students crammed into a building built in the 1950s to accommodate 350 students, and rather than wait to save enough to cover all the building costs, the Browning Public Schools, Browning, Montana, started construction in on a 125,000-square-foot high school big enough for 750 students. When the beautiful new building opens its doors in the fall of 2009, it will have 18 more classrooms – all of which are twice the size of the current ones – and a view of the Rocky Mountains in Glacier National Park.
Located on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana, the new Browning High School will preserve the rich history of the Blackfeet Nation and provide exceptional learning opportunities for students in grades 9-12.
The facility integrates Blackfeet Indian native culture into every aspect of the design, including the orientation of the main entrance facing the east, and a canopy resembling the shape of a tipi. At the main entrance, images of the Big Dipper and Pleiades constellations decorate the building. These are the same symbols often found on the smoke flaps of Blackfeet tipis.
The Sun will be incorporated in the flooring at the school’s entrance, while the Moon will be represented in the office commons area. The arc of acoustical clouds in the auditeria will be painted with the symbol of the buffalo representing a hunt at a pishkun where the herd would be stampeded over a bluff. |
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The Morning Star will be located at the western-most edge of the media center, facing the mountains. A “Winter Count” will be started on one wall of the gymnasium where each graduating class can add their story to the school building in a spiral. Tall clerestory windows will bring natural daylight into every classroom.
A circular seating pattern in the classrooms continue the Tribe’s tradition of storytelling and creates a more meaningful learning environment, improving curriculum, and teaching methods that support Blackfeet cultural ways in a modern society.
The Blackfeet Indians have always had great respect for the land. This respect is translated into numerous sustainable design features, including a biomass boiler system for heating, not unlike a traditional tipi. This system utilizes forest biomass, such as small-diameter trees, shrubs, and debris left over from logging operations and forest fuel reduction projects, which typically are piled up and burned as waste. The boiler is expected to burn 1,250 tons of locally-grown fuel each year, while saving the district approximately $48,600 annually.
The architect is Fanning Howey in association with L'Heureux Page Werner, PC.
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