Tupper Lake, NY – Indigenous voices come together to bring you Ways of Knowing. Working in partnership, the Akwesasne Cultural Center, The Six Nations Indian Museum, the Native North American Travelling College and The Wild Center unite to broaden and heighten our understanding and appreciation of the natural world. The collaborative and multi-faceted project opened at The Wild Center on Friday, May 25th and encourages visitors to continue their exploration at the Akwesasne Cultural Center in the Mohawk community of Akwesasne, The Six Nations Indian Museum in Onchiota and the Native North American Travelling College on Cornwall Island.
Even before opening in 2006, The Wild Center recognized that its focus was on western science and interpretation, missing the opportunity of the thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge. Ways of Knowing brings several Native American tribal entities and Indigenous knowledge experts together to help The Wild Center incorporate traditional ecological knowledge, including different perspectives and culture into its exhibits and experiences. At The Wild Center that translates into a reinterpreted permanent exhibit area and the installation of three traveling exhibits for this summer.
The Wild Center invited artist and Director of The Six Nations Indian Museum, David Kanietakeron Fadden, to reinterpret the Oxbow, a living wetland exhibit. He envisioned the Thanksgiving Address, a Haudenosaunee (Six Nations/Iroquois) greeting that invites reflection on the ways our existence is interconnected with the natural world. This new experience will offer insight into the culture of the Haudenosaunee people, one of the groups who have inhabited the Adirondack region for thousands of years. Through the intersection of original art created by Fadden and storytelling videos, this new experience honors the ways of knowing our northern landscape.
We Are From Akwesasne is an interactive traveling exhibit of Mohawk art, artifacts, songs, stories, beliefs and craftsmanship. Curated by youth from Akwesasne alongside artist and Program Coordinator Sue Ellen Herne from the Akwesasne Cultural Center, We Are From Akwesasne, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, offers a visual, auditory and hands-on experience that illuminates the continuing culture and artistic heritage of Akwesasne.
Roots of Wisdom: Native Knowledge. Shared Science, a traveling exhibit, highlights the experiences of four Indigenous communities as brought to life through the voices of elders and youth community members. This interactive exhibit immerses students in the story of how native peoples are using a collaborative approach to encourage sustainable solutions to real world challenges. Roots of Wisdom was created through collaboration between the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), Indigenous Education Institute (IEI), Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), and Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and features the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, Native Hawaiians, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Tulalip Tribes.
Additionally, the Native North American Travelling College, a cultural site in the northern portion of Akwesasne is sharing Sacred Foods, an exhibit that showcases the resilience and survival of traditional Haudenosaunee food. Sacred Foods provides an intimate look into the past -- from traditional gardening, the tools used for gathering, and real live plants to get a better understanding of Haudenosaunee food systems.
“I am honored that our partners collaborated with us to add this missing voice to The Wild Center,” said Stephanie Ratcliffe, Executive Director of The Wild Center. “Offering different perspectives has been an integral part of our philosophy since opening and the traditional ecological knowledge of the Indigenous people enhances western science and The Wild Center. We hope that people are inspired to visit the other partner sites for additional Haudenosaunee
experiences.”
“This is an exciting partnership that is enriching all of our sites,” said Sue Ellen Herne, Program Coordinator at the Akwesasne Cultural Center. “It is important for people to gain a deeper appreciation for the environment. That appreciation is an integral part of the teachings that have been passed to us by our ancestors. We don’t always follow the path that we should, so we have been given teachings that help us to make the right decisions. David Fadden’s new interpretation of the oxbow exhibit at The Wild Center is based on that fundamental teaching. It is a natural fit for The Wild Center to work with the Six Nations Indian Museum and the sites based in Akwesasne because the mission of The Wild Center is basically that same teaching. They want to help people to interact with the environment in a balanced and sustainable way. Both David and I are happy to be able to share the work of our museums with a larger audience. My work at the Akwesasne Cultural Center – Museum has been focused on developing ways to broaden understanding of the many facets of Mohawk culture. We serve our own community and the visiting public. There has been a history of miseducation related to Indigenous people, and also a history of lack of education on our perspectives. It is very heartening to have The Wild Center director state that they are making a change in their organization to include many “Ways of Knowing,” not only the Western Science model.”
“When I was first approached by The Wild Center about the idea of re-interpreting the Oxbow wetland exhibit I immediately thought of the Ohenton Karihwatehkwen (Words before all else) also known as the Thanksgiving Address,” said David Kanietakeron Fadden, Director of the Six Nations Indian Museum. “The address is an acknowledgment and a message of gratitude to all aspects of the natural world. From an artist’s point of view I wanted the exhibit space to lose the sharp angles and industrial look to more accurately reflect what nature looks like. This was a challenge as I had to paint in two dimensions to bring a look of a giant pop-up book. It is my hope that this project will bring an awareness of the “oneness” with nature that most Native people feel and that those who experience this exhibit will walk away with the same passion.”
He continues, “For me, these words not only express gratitude but instill a sense of belonging to the Earth, our home. We are a mere part of a larger family. Every part is personified as a family member. The earth is our mother. The sun is our elder brother. The moon is our grandmother. We treat these beings with great respect as we would treat our family, with respect. Our existence is dependent on all aspects of creation. These words acknowledge these gifts and with a sincere heart we, with one voice, send greetings and thanks to each part of creation.”
Come and celebrate Ways of Knowing on July 7th from 10am until 6pm. Special experiences will be happening all day, including a social dance with the Native North American Travelling College, storytelling with David Fadden, a sweetgrass bookmark making workshop with weaver Robin Lazore and a booth from the Akwesasne Cultural Center Museum. Akwesasne artisan vendors will be displaying authentic crafts all day.
Ways of Knowing continues for three years, with new exhibits among the partner museums over that period. Visit a partner website to find out about new activities and experiences during this time.
For additional information about the Akwesasne Cultural Center, please visit www.akwesasneculturalcenter.org or contact Sue Ellen Herne at 1-518-358-2461.
For additional information about the Six Nations Indian Museum, please visit https://www.sixnationsindianmuseum.com/ or contact David Fadden at 1-518-891-2299.
For additional information about the Native North American Travelling College, please visit https://www.nnatc.org/ or contact Amanda Tarbell at 1-613-932-9452 ext. 225.
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant number MA-10-17-0987-17; and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
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TUPPER LAKE – A $494,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will support The Wild Center as it helps students and teachers in New York City, the Catskills and the Adirondacks respond to climate change in their communities.
The three-year Environmental Literacy Grant bolsters a collaboration of The Wild Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, the Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School in Brooklyn, and the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) as they build climate literacy and preparedness among nearly 1,000 students and teachers.
As part of the project, called Convening Young Leaders for Climate Resilience in New York State, high schoolers will learn to assess the effect climate change is likely to have on their communities, work on techniques to convey those impacts to others, and develop the leadership skills needed to shape localized solutions to resiliency challenges posed by the issue.
“It’s critical for students to learn about climate change—but studies are clear that education alone isn’t enough to lead to action,” said Stephanie Ratcliffe, executive director of The Wild Center. “We also need to empower students to help their communities prepare for the changes that are likely to affect them.”
The grant was one of two awarded this year from NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program, which supports education programs that use NOAA science to improve ecosystem stewardship and increase resilience to environmental hazards. The following activities will be supported over the 3½-year course of the project:
- Each region will host a pair of Youth Climate Summits, one to two-day events that will attract 150-180 students.
- Teacher Climate Institutes will engage and empower teachers to feel confident about teaching climate science in their classroom by providing tools, resources and strategies.
- Selected students will participate in a Youth Climate Leadership Practicum that will focus specifically on leadership skills such as communication, project management, decision-making and problem-solving.
- Youth leaders will host community outreach events.
While today’s youth are the generation most likely to be called upon to mitigate the impacts of climate change, a Yale survey indicates they’ve had little exposure to the issue, with just 25 percent of high school students demonstrating a basic understanding of climate change. Nor are they studying it in the classroom: Just 22 percent of students say they’re learning “a lot” about the subject at school.
To improve climate education in schools, the project will work with teachers as well as students to develop a Teacher Climate Institute.
“Teachers are so important to establishing awareness about climate change,” said Jen Kretser, director of The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Summit Initiative. “We know they want to incorporate climate change into the curriculum, but are limited in the resources they have to learn about it themselves. By establishing a Teacher Climate Institute, we’ll put educators in direct contact with leading climate experts, so they can build their own knowledge on the topic and bring the discussion into their classrooms.”
While all of New York State will face urgent climate change-related challenges, every community’s response to the issue will differ. In urban areas, for instance, rising temperatures may exacerbate respiratory diseases such as asthma. In more rural places, such as the Adirondacks and Catskills, decreased snowfall might impact winter tourism.
“Addressing the challenges of climate change is among Governor Cuomo’s highest environmental priorities,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Our strategy for fighting climate change is dependent on a well-informed, involved public. The Youth Climate Summits and associated outreach will provide experience and tools that participants can immediately apply in their schools and communities. Perhaps more importantly, they will begin to empower today’s youth to become the engaged, knowledgeable and hopeful adults New York will need to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”
The DEC’s Office of Climate Change will join the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and NOAA’s Climate Program to contribute scientific information, resources and tools to the project, helping ensure that it conveys the latest knowledge and reflects statewide goals.
“The fight against climate change is one of the highest priorities for Governor Cuomo and New York,” said NYSERDA President and CEO Alicia Barton. “This project not only raises awareness of climate change but prepares today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders and help communities be more resilient.”
Since 2008, The Wild Center has worked with over a thousand high school and college students as well as teachers across the region, building climate action plans students can implement in their own schools and communities. The work has garnered national and international notice. Over the past few years, the Youth Climate Summit model has been replicated in places such as Seattle, Detroit, Finland and Sri Lanka.
“The best part about this work has been watching young leaders get excited about realizing they can do something about this crisis we’re all facing,” Ratcliffe said. “And it’s exciting to know we’ll be working with even more students going forward. They have the optimism, they have the will, they have new and fresh solutions, and they have the hope.”
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