Akwesasne Cultural Center Hosts Community Meetings

The Akwesasne Cultural Center held two community meetings on December 27 and 28. The December 27 meeting focused on the revitalization of the cultural center and there were 5 people in attendance. The December 28 meeting provided a review of the Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) Workshop and there were 12 people in attendance. Sue Herne led the two meetings.

December 27 Community Meeting- Revitalizing the Cultural Center

The Akwesasne Cultural Center was awarded an Institute Museum and Library Services Grant for Hawaiian and Native American organizations. In an effort to gain community involvement and perspective the Cultural Center Board of Directors decided that a community meeting needed to be held to help direct the grant.

In a brief presentation Sue Herne provided a background history as well as information related to the envisioned Akwesasne Tourism Group’s prospective Akwesasne Heritage Complex.

To begin the exchange of ideas, Sue Ellen posed the question, “How can we better serve our community’s cultural needs?”

Community members were encouraged to think big in an effort to brainstorm projects that would allow visitors to promote, share, reflect and participate in culture more fully.

The Akwesasne Cultural Center aims to make improvements with the Institute Museum and Library Services grant. Suggested minor changes could include the restructuring of the museum layout, the addition of automated museum resources and the printing of brochures which would facilitate museum tours.

Community members proposed various ideas in the meeting. Museum content could be expanded to include current activism, which has become a significant part of the culture in Akwesasne. Community members also highlighted the importance of the including Mohawk language at the cultural center as well as including the unique personal stories of Akwesasronon past and present. Attendees emphasized that they would like to experience Akwesasne’s “living culture” when they visit the center.

To end the meeting Sue Herne provided a guided tour of the museum. In the tour she highlighted current collections and discussed possible ideas of how the museum could be improved for a better cultural experience.

December 28 Community Meeting- Review of the Citizens Institute on Rural Design- Akwesasne Design Challenge Workshop

Sue Ellen Herne began the meeting with a presentation which reviewed the CIRD Workshop that had taken place on November 17-19 at the Grand Mohawk Inn. A brief review of the December 27 meeting was also provided to community members.

The presentation highlighted a need for the reorganization and restructuring of the Cultural Center.

Sue Herne said, “At the Cultural Center and Museum it’s important that we highlight the good, the bad and ugly; maintaining a sense of tolerance in order to understand who we are as a community.”

Phillip White-Cree, Aboriginal Rights and Research Office, gave insight into Haudenosaunee symbolism and architectural design in an effort to inspire creative dialog.

“The museum shouldn’t be a building to just throw stuff in, we need to think about what we can do for future generations and what can carry over to the next generations,” said Phillip White-Cree.

In an effort to gain more community input Sue Herne and Phillip White-Cree encouraged community members to verbalize their ideas for Akwesasne with a focus on the Cultural Center and Museum.

The majority of the discussion focused on artwork and artists and how Akwesasne can currently sustain them, as they are a reflection of Akwesasne’s past, present and future. After much discussion community members agreed that artwork and artists must respect what is ours to protect cultural authenticity and boundaries. We must understand who we are and where we stand in order to evolve and grow as a community as we share our unique culture with tourists. Community members agreed that artistic guidelines must be developed and established.

At the end of the meeting Sue Herne noted a need for additional community input. The Akwesasne Cultural Center intends to host further meetings as a way to continue this important conversation.

The Akwesasne Cultural Center seeks input and invites people to complete the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AkwesasneCulturalCenter

Interested individuals can follow the Akwesasne Cultural Center-Museum Facebook page for future updates