Project Week: First Day at Six Nations Reserve

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

First Day at Six Nations Reserve

After a 12 hour day traveling from New Hampton to Ohsweken, Canada, the students were excited to work with elementary students on the Six Nations Reserve.

“Our lesson on native culture began as soon as we walked into the school. We began with a brief overview given by one of the teachers on the history of Six Nations, interweaving topics we’ve studied in school with stories she’d heard from grandparents and great-grandparents. We learned about six warring clans, united by necessity while still maintaining their own individuality, and how the strength of the people lay in their diversity.

The children at the school are aware of their inheritance, more so than most, and preserve their heritage by learning the Cayuga language, reading books on residential schools, and performing traditional war dances. They are sweet, funny, and curious, and asked us about our school and favorite classes and sports. Their eagerness to learn, both about their past and ours, reflects the school’s mission to instill an understanding about both Six Nations’ past and the world today.

The Six Nations historical center almost taunts the old Mohawk residential school located next to it; the center fights to preserve the legacy of native people despite the odds stacked against them. From the longhouses built six hundred years ago, to wampum beads made from quahog shells and used as currency and to make belts, to the residential schools used to erase native culture, both the triumphs and trials of the people of Six Nations were displayed behind clear glass cases.” - Augusta