Akwesasne Cultural Center Museum - Part 1

I left the farm and drove to Hogansburg, New York one cold morning. I wanted to take a second look at the Akwesasne (Mohawk) Museum at the Cultural Center. I knew I'd crossed into the reservation when I began seeing giant signs advertising cigarettes at cheap prices. I parked behind the cultural center and entered the museum:

There were signs which explained the exhibits, though I never saw any people. I learned here the story of the creation of the world. Sky woman fell from the sky and waterbirds helped her to land safely onto the turtle's back. A lacrosse player assisted the Sky woman as she fell. The native songs, dances and games help connect the people to the sky world:

Akwesasne Mohawk basket makers pound Black Ash logs to make splint, which is then soaked and the fibers scraped off by hand with a knife. Hand tools are used to split the splint into thinner layers and to cut it into the needed widths. Weaving is only one part of the process and is alternated with drying time, after which the weaves are packed tightly:

Baskets are also woven of Sweetgrass, though it wasn't always clear which were Black Ash and which were Sweetgrass. I suspected that many were a combination:

I remembered from a previous visit that this small basket was called, for obvious reasons, a strawberry basket:

Lacrosse is considered a medicine game which was first played in the Sky World and is now a bridge between earth and sky, a game to lift human spirits and to entertain the Creator:

Carving bone and antler is an ancient Iroquois tradition. This contemporary piece was done by Stan Hill, a Mohawk from the Six Nations territory near Toronto, Ontario:

Baby carriers, also called cradleboards, were individually decorated and came in a wide variety of designs:

The photo below this cradleboard shows how they were used:

Baskets were used for gathering and carrying food and medicine as the people gave thanks for their environment, the natural world:

This very large basket was striking:

There was a wide variety of baskets, expertly and artistically made. I took photos of only a few of them but there were many more to see at the museum. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Six Nations Indian Museum - Part 1

It's open only in the summer, so I'd been waiting all winter to visit the Six Nations Indian Museum. One day I drove an hour southeast of home and, deep in the Adirondack forest, found the museum in the tiny settlement of Onchiota:

I walked up the ramp, paid $5.00 and began my tour:

Inside, a handsome young Mohawk introduced himself and offered to answer any questions I might have. I didn't know what to ask, but he did tell me a lot about the museum. He grew up in Onchiota, as this land and building used to be a summer camp, run by his grandfather. Now it's a museum and he lives on Cornwall Island, part of the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve up near Massena, except for the three months the museum is open:

I began my tour, totally amazed by the wealth of materials and artifacts they had displayed. It was very difficult to photograph because of the lighting and reflections off the glass fronted cabinets. But that may be a blessing, as otherwise I might be posting pictures from this one place for a month or more. Even with all the photos which I had to discard, there are three posts:

Beaded moccasins - many of them, too many to show them all:

And speaking of beadwork, click on this to enlarge - and be amazed:

Many of the items which had dates were from the late 1800s, but most were not dated:

A cradle board and blanket, seemingly for use together:

Lacrosse sticks from many tribes:

Mohawk baskets. The nearby Akwesasne community is noted for its fine basketry:

A close-up of a Mohawk basket:

And many more, some fancier than others. But I'd just begun my tour of the Six Nations Indian Museum. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Akwesasne Cultural Center Museum - Part 2

I continued my tour of the Akwesasne Mohawk Museum. These were a Snipe Clan pendant and a Bear Clan pendant. Clans are an important part of Akwesasne culture and identity:

Ironworker corn husk dolls. Mohawk people have a long tradition of ironwork and even today there are more than 300 Akwesasne Mohawks who are members of Ironworkers Local 440. Below that is a soapstone carving:

A beaded, hanging urn. Beaded items were made for sale in great numbers during the 1800s and early 1900s, though the use of glass beads began as far back as the 1600s and continues today:

Dugout canoe, with emblems representing Mohawk Clans:

Lacrosse was more than a sport and was held sacred. A lacrosse player assisted the Sky Woman as she fell to earth in creation. She landed on the turtle's back and the sacred games helped connect the Mohawk to the sky world:

There were many lacrosse sticks on display:

More lacrosse sticks and baskets, including a strawberry basket:

Diorama of an early Akwesasne village:

The diorama from another angle:

Mohawk men wore traditional headdresses, feathered caps with a different insignia for each tribe. In times of war, the men shaved their heads except for the familiar crest down the center. Mohawk women sometimes wore special beaded tiaras. But there was still more to see at the museum, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: