The Akwesasne Mohawks: A Cultural Tour

Akwesasne Cultural Center Tour 

The Akwesasne Cultural Tour is home to a collection of artifacts that tells the fascinating story of the Mohawk people. During this guided tour, guests will experience Mohawk cultural lifeways through art, storytelling, and artifacts. A wampum exhibit room features more than a dozen replica belts and the authentic Wolf Belt, a 200-year-old historical record repatriated to Akwesasne.

Experience Mohawk culture from the perspective of the people of Akwesasne

The Akwesasne Cultural Center is home to a collection of artifacts that tells the fascinating story of the Mohawk people. During this guided tour, guests will experience Mohawk cultural lifeways through art, storytelling, and artifacts. A wampum exhibit room features more than a dozen replica belts and the authentic Wolf Belt, a 200-year-old historical record repatriated to Akwesasne.

Tour Highlights

  • Experience the Haudenosaunee creation story through iconic imagery by Akwesasne artists
  • Learn about how Mohawks lived and traveled prior to European contact
  • View the historic, 200-year-old Wolf Belt, repatriated to Akwesasne in 2010
  • Get a close-up view of an expansive collection of traditional art and archaeological artifacts

Tour Description

The tour begins with a welcome to Akwesasne Mohawk territory and an introduction to their cultural educator. Guests are greeted with the Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen (“the words before all else”).

Experience the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) creation story through iconic art and imagery depicting the creation of the world and how people came to live in it. Guests learn about pre-contact lifeways, including longhouse living, our traditional clan structure, and food systems. The origins of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee is told through authentic cultural items and iconography.

Guests are introduced to wampum belts, the living records of our history, agreements, monumental events, and treaties. This tour invites guests to view the historic Wolf Belt, made more than 200 years ago and repatriated to Akwesasne in 2010. Several replica belts are on display in the museum’s climate-controlled wampum room.

Hosts share some spectacular examples of our enduring traditional arts that our people continue to practice and refine even today. Lacrosse fans can learn about the Mohawk contribution to the Creator’s game through different eras.

Guests come away from this tour with a deeper appreciation of historical and contemporary Mohawk culture, and the many forces that impact it today.

The tour allows time for Q&A and self-exploration. Guests may visit the gift shop to purchase a memento of their visit.

Tour Duration

  • 1 hour

What To Bring

  • Bring an open and inquisitive mind!
  • Food and drink are prohibited inside the museum

What's Included

  • Guided museum tour by Akwesasne cultural educators

What's Not Included

  • Transportation to the Akwesasne Cultural Center

Tour Price

Tour Group Size 2 – 10 Guests 10 – 20 Guests
Tour Price Per Guest $ 25.00 $ 20.00
  • All Prices in USD
  • Minimum group size: 2 guests
  • Maximum group size: 20 guests
  • Children 10 and under are free
  • Wheelchair accessible

FAQs

Need more information to plan your visit? Our Frequently Asked Questions page covers everything from weather to directions to local dining and lodging options.

  • Akwesasne Cultural Center Museum

AKWESASNE TRAVEL

  • Phone: 518-358-4238
  • Email: info@akwesasne.travel

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