Akwesasne Museum
The Akwesasne Museum is a small museum that strives to serve our community well. The overall collection of the Akwesasne Museum includes over 2,000 photographic objects and over 700 ethnographic objects of various kinds, related to the Mohawk community of Akwesasne.
A significant photography project funded by the National Park Service was completed in recent years that addressed many of the needs of our largest collection. Our photo collection ranges from glass plate negatives produced in the early 1900’s to reproductions of recent images from the year 2000 and up. A major phase of our climate control goals was completed as part of this project. We implemented climate controls to keep the temperature at 65 degrees in the museum, with only a two degree variance year-round to ensure the protection of our collection.
Over 300 of our ethnographic objects are baskets, making it our second largest discreet category within the overall collection. Black ash splint and sweetgrass basketry is one of the defining features of Akwesasne Mohawk identity. There is no known date for the first use of splint basketry by Mohawk people, but splint fragments have been found in the Northeast United States that date to 3,000 years ago. Akwesasne has the greatest number of basketmakers in any one community among the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. Basketmaking has remained an unbroken tradition over time, and is one of our strongest ties to the land, as materials are harvested from forests and fields.
The Smithsonian Institution’s Folklife Festival included “Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basketmaking Traditions” as part of their theme in 2006 . Eighteen Akwesasne Mohawks visited the festival for 2 days through an Institute of Museum and Library Services Native American/Native Hawaiian grant. Through the work of other organizations, two Akwesasne Mohawk basketmakers were on-site for the entire 2-weeks of the festival, and three young people from Akwesasne were able to participate as ‘Next Generation Heritage Workers’.
A DVD based on footage and interviews that took place at the festival is now available from our museum shop. ‘Carriers of Culture - Akwesasne Mohawk Basketry Traditions’ is dedicated to all Native basketmakers and focuses specifically on the continuing tradition of black ash and sweetgrass basketry as it is practiced in the Mohawk community of Akwesasne. Click on our Gift Shop page for ordering information.
More about the “Carriers of Culture” basketry initiative can be found at: http://carriers.museum.msu.edu/
One of our on-going projects is a collaboration with Salmon River Central School District designed to bring the Haudenosaunee perspective into classrooms during the teaching of American History. Several units are being re-produced at this time, the first of which is ”Wampum as Historical Document” by Margaret Lafrance, an Akwesasne Mohawk teacher at Salmon River Central. More about the ‘Teaching American History Through Hotinonshonni Eyes’ program’s beginnings can be found on the www.srk12.org website by clicking on the Hotinonshonni eyes logo, or by going directly to: http://www.srk12.org/hotinonshonni/index.htm The page on the units is currently under construction, and work continues on the units themselves!
Pictured here are some of the dynamic and revered elders who honored us with their participation in the third year of the project: (l-r) Rick Hill, Ernie Benedict, Oren Lyons, Lloyd Elm
A social opened the 3rd year’s summer conference. (l-r) Andrew Thomas, Curtis Lazore, Paul Thomas
Thanks to participating teacher, Janet Conners, for the ‘Hotininshonni Eyes’ photos…
“We Are From Akwesasne” is an exhibit that was produced through Institute of Museum and Library Services funding. Youth from Akwesasne were the co-curators of the exhibit - working with consultants, designers, and museum staff in the creation of a traveling exhibit that illuminates the continuing culture and artistic heritage of Akwesasne. It is an extensive exhibit that includes interactive elements, free-standing panels with text and photographs, pedestals with traditional arts objects, and more. It was rented by the Seaway Trail Discovery Center for the spring/summer of 2006. Other interested venues can contact us at:
Akwesasne Museum
321 State Rte 37
Hogansburg, NY 13655
518-358-2461
akwmuse@northnet.org
