Šináata Scholarship

The Šináata Scholarship is an important component of Whitman College’s commitment to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) in the Memorandum of Agreement that was originally signed in 2017 and most recently updated in 2024. In alignment with our efforts to enhance Native American student educational success – through outreach, recruitment and retention, and financial aid – the Šináata Scholarship is Whitman's most generous and comprehensive scholarship.

Who is eligible for the Šináata Scholarship?

This scholarship is offered to as many as five applicants annually, with first preference to enrolled CTUIR students, second preference to students with close ties to and community involvement with the CTUIR, and third preference to enrolled members of the tribes affiliated with the 1855 Walla Walla Treaty Council.

What does the Šináata Scholarship cover?

The Šináata Scholarship removes financial obstacles for selected students by building on federal and external scholarships and aid awards* to ensure that the full cost of attending Whitman is covered. The cost of attendance includes tuition, food and housing, books, supplies and a transportation allowance. 

*Any federal or state grants or outside scholarships a student receives for will be used to meet the cost of attending Whitman. 

How to apply for the Šináata Scholarship

Students who wish to be considered for the Šináata Scholarship should complete the following steps:

• Submit the Common App to Whitman College. For Early Decision I, apply by Nov. 15. For Early Decision II, apply by Jan. 10. And for Regular Decision, apply by Jan.15. If any of these deadlines pose a problem, contact us at admission@whitman.edu and we will be as flexible as possible.
• All enrolled tribal members should indicate their enrollment in the Demographics section of the Common App.
• Students with close ties to the CTUIR should share information regarding their connection to the CTUIR community in the application or by contacting us at admission@whitman.edu.
• Submit their FAFSA to Whitman College. We request that all Šináata recipients submit the FAFSA so that we can determine eligibility for federal and state grant funding. The FAFSA should be submitted by Nov. 15 if you apply Early Decision I, by Jan. 10 if you apply Early Decision II, and by Jan. 15 if you apply Regular Decision.
• Submit information on any additional scholarships, including tribal scholarships, to the Financial Aid Office (finaid@whitman.edu). This can be done any time.

Students who meet the eligibility requirements will be contacted by the Šináata Scholarship Committee and asked to respond to the following prompt to demonstrate how your experiences, skills, and goals align with the scholarship’s purpose (maximum 150 words):

How would being named a Šináata Scholar shape your experience at Whitman College and support your goals for the future?

For any questions about applying or completing financial aid materials, contact the Admission Office at admission@whitman.edu.

Continuing Collaboration: Why Šináata?

The Šináata scholarship honors the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla peoples and represents the close and continuing collaboration between the college and the tribes. It builds on a number of other educational initiatives developed under the framework of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that Whitman initially signed with the CTUIR in 2017 and renewed in 2022 and 2024.

Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, the cultural education arm of the CTUIR, proposed the name Šináata [pronounced shin-AHH-tah] for the scholarship. Bobbie Conner, the director, explained the meaning behind it.

“This name is in the original Cayuse language and was prepared and submitted by Dr. Phillip Cash Cash, linguistic anthropologist and CTUIR member, and means ‘to seek.’ This name was recommended to provide the CTUIR and Whitman College the opportunity to actively use an Old Cayuse term in modern time as a signal that the language is still in use. It also provides an occasion to align the ancient practice of vision seeking with the pursuit of higher education, seeking knowledge, enlightenment and insight.”

According to Dr. Cash Cash, the use of Old Cayuse terms “can only help elevate a greater awareness of the Cayuse language and how it contributes to the linguistic diversity of the Plateau cultural region. It must be understood that every opportunity to use our ancestral Cayuse language advances its status from ‘extinction’ into a new kind of language use. Such use bears cultural and scientific significance that cannot be overstated given today’s historical moment.”