Northwest Indian College, operated by the Lummi tribe of Native Americans as a tribally controlled institution of higher education, is located in Bellingham, Washington. Although the NWIC campus is located within the Lummi Nation in Washington State, the College is the only accredited Tribal College or University serving reservation communities of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The NWIC began in 1973 as the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture, which was established to provide local technicians for employment in Indian owned and operated fish and shellfish hatcheries in the United States and Canada.