Educational Programs

IROQUOIS INDIAN MUSEUM

EDUCATION KITS

INDEPENDENT EXPLORATION
THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC December - April WE RE-OPEN ON MAY 1.

"We ask the Creator that we always be available for educating the people of both cultures so that we can better understand each other."- Jim Sky (1934 - 2000)
Onondaga Iroquois Trustee (1984 - 2000)

Jim Sky giving the Thanksgiving Address at the
ground-breaking for the new Museum in 1992.

The Iroquois Indian Museum is an anthropological museum that uses art to educate and inspire. Our collections of contemporary Iroquois art and archeological artifacts open a window on Iroquois culture and society. Our educational program fulfills the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts, Social Studies, and Language Arts. The Museum provides a stimulating object-based learning environment that engages visitors on visual, tactile, and intellectual levels. Some of its features include:

A modern museum designed in the shape of a longhouse, as a teaching device.
The largest public collection of contemporary Iroquois arts in the world.
An archeological collection of Schoharie County artifacts.
A 45-acre Nature Park with marked trails.
Interactive hands-on Children’s Iroquois Museum.
Outdoor Picnic area.
Two Iroquois log houses, circa 1850.
Museum Gift Shop.

PLANNING YOUR VISIT

Please call ahead to book your group visit. Reservations are accepted on a first-come/first-served basis, with many groups booking months in advance. You should plan on a 90 minute visit with 30 minutes for lunch.

After the scheduled program, students and their chaperones then have a chance to explore the Nature Park, and to visit the Museum Shop.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

We are keeping our program fees as low as possible. Our programs are BOCES reimbursable. Prices include admission and all supplies. For every 10 students, there is one free adult admission. All other adults are charged a reduced admission fee of $5.

PROGRAM FEES:

INDEPENDENT EXPLORATION: $4 PER STUDENT
Following the description are codes for each NYS Learning Standard addressed in the Program. Letters refer to subjects (A=Arts, SS=Social Studies, E=English language arts, N-E=Non-English language arts, M=Math, Science and Technology). Numbers following the letters refer to specific standards within the assigned subject. For complete information on the Standards click on the numbers or click here NYSLS

1. INDEPENDENT EXPLORATION
The program includes a pre-visit Curriculum Guide which will be mailed to teachers in advance of their class visit to the Museum. On arrival, each student is given a 16 page full color Independent Exploration booklet and allowed to view the Museum's exhibits. The booklet includes short descriptions of major topics important to learning about Iroquois culture, history and prehistory. As students tour the Museum the booklet helps to guide them in what types of things to look for and in understanding these topics. The booklet also contains activities geared towards reinforcing what they are viewing during their visit. This take-home booklet will assist teachers and students during followup discussions back in their classrooms. Knowledgeable Museum Staff will be available to answer questions.

TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE:

A. Archeology: Showing how the domestication of corn changed the lives of Native Americans. Demystifying the tools used on a daily basis before European contact. Comparing and contrasting the changes that occurred in Iroquois life with the arrival of Europeans and their goods.

B. History: Who are the six Iroquois nations? How and why did those six separate nations join together to create the Iroquois Confederacy? What was the role of clans in Iroquois families? What were the roles of men, women, and children in early Iroquois society? What part did the Natural World play in the daily life of Iroquois?

C. Today's Iroquois: What traditional values are still important to Iroquois today? What contemporary issues effect Iroquois people today - Land issues, pollution, stereotypes, maintaining a distinctive Native identity in today's world?

A2, A3, A4, SS1, SS3, N-E2, SS4 SS5, E1, E2, E3, E4

OTHER GROUP OPTIONS

IROQUOIS ENVIRONMENTS

Weather permitting, students can take a self-guided trail walk through our 45 acre Nature Park. Trail maps are available in the Museum. A number of trees are identified on the trail and on the reverse of the Map.

The Iroquois Indian Museum Education Kit

The Iroquois Museum is pleased to make available to the public our education kit. The kit is designed to help educators better teach their students about Iroquois culture, history, and art. It can be used to prepare students for a fieldtrip to the Iroquois Museum, but can also be utilized as a stand-alone resource for teachers unable to bring their students to the Museum.
PURCHASE PRICE = $80 + shipping & handling

You can purchase a kit through Paypal by clicking on the button above or e-mail us at info@iroquoismuseum.org
Each kit contains:
1.) 1 Curriculum Guide (which follows this introduction).
2.) 1 CD-ROM: Iroquois Museum Digital Image Album.
3.) 1 CD of a contemporary Iroquois singer which includes traditional dance songs.
4.) 1 CD of traditional Mohawk Stories by Kay Olan
5.) 1 CD: Souvenir Slide Show
6.) 1 book, North American Indians Today – Iroquois by Kenneth McIntosh
7.) 1 DVD, Faces of the Iroquois
8.) 1 Instructions for making a cornhusk doll
9.) Printed activity sheets
10.) 12 Simple Mohawk words with translation and pronounciation guide
11.) Map of Traditional Iroquois Territory and Map of Iroquois Communities Today.
12.) 1 Evaluation form.

This event is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

MUSEUM HOURS

May 1 through November 30:
Tuesday --- Saturday: 10 - 5; Sunday: 12 - 5.
Monday: CLOSED.
Thanksgiving Day: CLOSED

CONTACT

For most groups, reservations are required. These can be made either by phone or via the internet. The phone # is (518) 296-8949. The e-mail address is info@iroquoismuseum.org . We look forward to serving you and your students.
DIRECTIONS
From Albany: take I-90 west to exit 25a, and then Interstate 88 to exit 22. Go right onto Rte. 7, for a mile. At Caverns Road turn left and go a mile. The Museum will be on the right.

From NYC: NYS Thruway to exit 21 (Catskill). Take Rte. 23 West to Rte. 145 to Rte. 7. then follow directions above.

From the West: NYS Thruway east to exit 29 (Canajoharie) Take Rte. 5S to Rte. 162 to Rte. 30A. Turn right on Rte. 7 (heading west) and go to Caverns Rd. Take a right. Museum is up Caverns Road on the right.

The Museum is wheelchair accessible.

The Iroquois Indian Museum Education Kit

For most groups, reservations are required. These can be made either by phone or via the internet. The phone # is (518) 296-8949. The e-mail address is info@iroquoismuseum.org . We look forward to serving you and your students.

DIRECTIONS From Albany: take I-90 west to exit 25a, and then Interstate 88 to exit 22. Go right onto Rte. 7, for a mile. At Caverns Road turn left and go a mile. The Museum will be on the right.

DIRECTIONS
From Albany: take I-90 west to exit 25a, and then Interstate 88 to exit 22. Go right onto Rte. 7, for a mile. At Caverns Road turn left and go a mile. The Museum will be on the right.