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.

February Fridays

Every spring semester, Akwe:kon hosts a series of cultural programs geared toward enriching the experience of being part of the Akwe:kon community. This series consists of outside speakers, creative workshops, and film screenings, with events happening Fridays during February. In the past we have been able to bring in Indigenous community members from the surrounding area to share their knowledge with students and participating faculty and staff.

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.

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.

Akwe:kon students pose in front of Ganondagan State Historic Site sign.
Akwe:kon residents engage in a tour of a reconstructed Longhouse at Ganondagan.
Hands-on demonstration on the process of harvesting Iroquois White Corn.
Students husking and braiding corn.
Students sit around a table eating lunch.

Additional programming

Tutoring

Our students provide academic support in core subjects (English, math, science, and history) to students of Lafayette High School in the Onondaga Nation. Transportation is provided for all participants. If you would like to get involved please contact AIISP to learn more.

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.