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KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab is open Thursday – Monday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Plan your visit

Virtual Tour & Resources: Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Art & Culture

The Rockwell Museum is located on the ancestral land of the Seneca, one of the six Nations that comprise the Iroquois Confederacy. To recognize our region’s cultural legacy, in 2017 we added the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Gallery.

The Museum’s collection of Haudenosaunee objects of material culture and contemporary art serves as testaments of creativity, evoking a connection between the past and the present. Learning about Haudenosaunee art and culture supports the 4th Grade Common Core Social Studies curriculum, connecting local, New York State, and United States history, focusing on Native American Indians of New York State.

The videos and resources are provided to support grade-level curricula and bring authentic Haudenosaunee art and objects to life. In addition, we have added activities as well as resources and links from the National Museum of the American Indian and the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site to provide teachers and students a deeper understanding of Haudenosaunee culture.

We hope you enjoy the videos and resources.  We invite you to visit the Museum, if possible, to experience the entirety of The Rockwell’s fine collection of American art. We express sincere thanks to the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan State Historic Site and Faithkeeper, Peter Jemison for their collaboration interpreting and curating this permanent gallery.

We recognize the many legacies of displacement, migration and settlement that bring us together.

Learn

Nature’s Bounty

View objects from The Rockwell Museum’s Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Gallery. Learn how baskets, pots, moccasins and more are made, all from what nature provided. The skills you will learn about in this video continue to be used in their reciprocal relationship with the land and acknowledge and honor nature’s gifts.

Social Games

Did you know the game of lacrosse came from the Haudenosaunee? Learn about lacrosse and the winter snow snake games, as well as their importance in Haudenosaunee social life. View a lacrosse stick and snow snake from The Rockwell Museum’s Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Gallery.

Create

Natural Materials Weaving Project

Haudenosaunee people make many objects using materials from their natural environment including clay pots, sweetgrass baskets and baskets woven from the wood of the ash tree. The black ash tree is used to make beautiful and sturdy baskets, medicines and more. These items were historically important to the everyday lives of the Haudenosaunee and these traditions continue today. Now that we are able to buy more things for our homes, these objects are important to keep traditions alive and honor the environment. In this project, you will look around your natural environment and find materials to make a woven artwork to remind you how beautiful and special our part of the world is!

Download Project Instructions

Play

Haudenosaunee Vocabulary Word Search

Words can be found left to right, top to bottom, bottom to top and diagonally left to right. Time yourself and then click “retry” to mix up the letters and search again.

 

Haudenosaunee Memory Game

Click on the cards to find matching pictures. When you get a match, a box will pop up to tell you about the items. Time yourself and then click “retry” to mix up the cards and play again!

Explore More

Use these resources to supplement your tour as needed!

Ganondagan State Historic Site

National Museum of the American Indian

The Rockwell Museum – Haudenosaunee Gallery on eMuseum

National Museum of the American Indian: Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators

Haudenosaunee Confederacy: Food and Hunting

Video: Why The Cornhusk Doll Has No Face

Video: How to Make a Cornhusk Doll

Video: Traditional Snow Snake Game

Survey

Thank you for using our videos and resources! It is our desire to constantly improve our educational efforts. Your opinions and thoughts are extremely important to us. We encourage you to complete this evaluation so that we can make improvements and enhancements that will continue to provide a high-quality experience. The survey should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.

COMPLETE SURVEY