Native News
UTTC Graduate Wins 2025 Tribal College Blanket Design Competition with Tribute to Late Brother, Cole Brings Plenty
United Tribes Technical College graduate Belle Brings Plenty (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) has been named the winner of the 2025 Tribal College Blanket Design Competition, earning the opportunity to have her design, Journey, produced as part of Pendleton Woolen Mills’ American Indian College Fund blanket collection.
The annual competition showcases the talents of Native students attending Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), with Brings Plenty’s design selected from 33 submissions submitted by Native student artists across the country.
Now available for purchase through Pendleton’s American Indian College Fund collection, the blanket is part of a partnership that has spanned more than 20 years. A portion of sales from the collection provides nearly $50,000 annually in scholarships for Native students, while Pendleton’s contributions to a scholarship endowment and direct scholarship funding have exceeded $2.5 million.
Brings Plenty graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from United Tribes Technical College.
Her winning design began as a sketch on a pair of parfleche (rawhide) earrings before evolving into a blanket. Rich with Lakóta symbolism, Journey was created in memory of her late brother, Cole Brings Plenty, who died in April 2024.
The artist said every element of the blanket was intentionally chosen to offer comfort and connection.
“I just want people to be able to connect with this blanket in their own ways. I hope people can be able to wrap themselves in this blanket and feel loved,” Brings Plenty said.
The geometric patterns draw from traditional Lakóta artwork, while the dragonfly at the center symbolizes healing medicine. As a traveler, the dragonfly is surrounded by stars representing Star Nation. The border incorporates quillwork and beadwork-inspired designs that honor Brings Plenty’s family lineage of quill workers and beaders, while diamond motifs reference her background creating parfleche art.
The blanket’s colors also carry cultural significance. Red and blue represent life and death, while the blue background pays tribute to the Wakíyan Oyáte, or Thunder Being Nation, in recognition of the blessings bestowed upon her people. Lakóta words identifying the symbols and colors are woven into the design, with the cream-colored lettering echoing the shade of rawhide Brings Plenty prefers in her artwork. The Lakóta word for “journey,” Oómani, appears as part of the blanket’s ledger art design.
The Tribal College Blanket Design Competition is held annually and is open to Native students enrolled at Tribal Colleges and Universities. The contest aims to elevate emerging Native artists by providing scholarship opportunities, cash awards, and professional design experience through collaboration with an internationally recognized brand.
In addition to supporting Native student artists, the partnership between Pendleton and the American Indian College Fund celebrates Indigenous cultures and storytelling while generating scholarship funding for future generations of Native students.
Applications for the next Tribal College Blanket Design Competition open each November through the American Indian College Fund.