AIISP is a CALS-based unit that provides Indigenous-related academic, student support and outreach services to Cornell University.
Akwe:kon hosts many programs and activities throughout the year. Many of our programs are student-initiated and led, while faculty and staff often help out with the planning process. Every year, Akwe:kon hosts hands-on workshops such as Corn Husk Doll making, soapstone carving, beading, and sewing among many others. Our programming is always evolving based on current student interests.
Faculty Fellows
Our Faculty Fellows program offers Akwe:kon residents and students of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP) the opportunity to share a free meal together with a rotating cast of American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS) faculty. This is an opportunity to have informal discussions about academic and cultural interests, allow students to network with faculty and peers, and help students and faculty get to know each other. Faculty Fellows dinners take place every Tuesday at 5:00PM at either Toni Morrison Dining Hall or the Akwe:kon great room.
Traditional Foods Dinner
The Traditional Foods Dinner is a cherished tradition that marks the new semester and celebrates the changing seasons. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are welcome to come together in celebration of Indigenous culture. Corn soup, frybread, and strawberry drink are served, however, you are welcome to bring any traditional dish from your community to share. The Traditional Foods Dinner is about coming together as a community to honor the land and each other. It's a time to share stories, continue to forge relationships with community members, and strengthen bonds.
Ongwe Hall Council
The hall council is composed of residents wanting to take an active role in the Akwe:kon community. Council members convene regularly to discuss programming ideas for the house, focusing on community development and inclusion.
Students gather in the Akwe:kon Great Room to carve pumpkins. Photo by Leslie Logan. Fall 2023
Students travel to OJI:SDA’ in Spencer NY to learn about sustainable food forestry and native plants. OJI:SDA’ was co-founded by AIISP Alumni Jason Corwin (Seneca). Fall 2023. Picture by Ben Maracle.
Riber Webb (M.S. 2024) leads a multi-session Ribbon Skirt workshop in the Akwe:kon Great Room. Fall 2023. Picture by Leslie Logan.
Akwe:kon Retreat
Ganondagan State Historic Site
Akwe:kon residents traveled to Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York for a house retreat. Ganondagan is the site of a 17th Century Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca) Village that was destroyed by the French in 1687. The site now serves as a resource for the Indigenous and general public, dedicated to educating visitors on the history of the Onöndowa’ga:’ people and the culture and influence of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
Akwe:kon residents engaged in a tour of a reconstructed longhouse (the traditional house form of the Haudenosaunee) at Ganondagan .
Residents then received a hands-on demonstration on the process of harvesting Iroquois White Corn.
Students are taught how to husk and braid corn to be hung for drying.
Ganondagan’s, volunteer organization “The Friends of Ganondagan” hosted a meal for Akwe:kon residents at the Iroquois White Corn Project’s Cook House.
Additional programming
Hosting
Akwe:kon and the AIISP regularly invite prospective Indigenous students to visit campus. Hosting prospective students is a great way for residents to share their Cornell experience and showcase the Akwe:kon community. To learn about upcoming hosting opportunities, aiisp [at] cornell.edu (contact AIISP) and sign-up for our newsletter.