Visiting the Native North American Travelling College in Akwesasne: A Meaningful Stronghold for a Rich and Vibrant Culture

The NNATC is a cultural site in the northern portion of Akwesasne, just a short drive from Cornwall, Ontario. This cultural hub includes a museum, an art gallery, a gift shop, outdoor performance spaces, and so much more. It’s a place for all to learn about the stories and and traditions of the Mohawk Peoples, one of founding nations in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, as well as Indigenous culture at large.

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We have always thought of the name of our site, We Explore Canada, in a multifaceted sort of way. Yes, we’re exploring Canada, and providing guides to some of the top cities and destinations in Canada’s provinces and territories, but we’re also exploring Canada conceptually. We feel it’s our job to better understand what “Canada” means to different peoples who call this physical land home, and to stop writing at certain times, and to simply listen.

We focus intently on having a large library of content on indigenous tourism as well as information, so that we can ensure we’re doing our part to show all angles of this land, and how different nations of people see themselves within this nation. Perhaps most importantly, we visit places like the Native North American Travelling College to learn, and to share perspectives with our readership — to share voices that deserve to be heard and celebrated, without us speaking for them.

After spending many hours here, and being warmly welcomed by an extremely knowledgable staff, we left with so much to think about, and a clear understanding that many would directly benefit from taking the time to visit this special place.

The Story of the Native North American Travelling College

When I arrived at the Native North American Travelling College, I was greeted by the Executive Director, Joyce King, the Museum Manager, Grace Point, Misty Tarbell, the Travel Trade Manager, as well as three young cultural educators, Sequoia Hill, Jake Cook, and Ranernihiiosta Hern.

I learned from each and every person here, and as a former teacher myself, I want to give a special shoutout to the three young men who walked me through the museum (and their culture). It was a privilege to learn from and connect with the whole team here.

The goal here is clear:

“To conserve cultural heritage through education, facilitation, and commerce.”

I’d like to share their story of how the NNATC came to be:

“Kanien’keha, People of the Flint or Mohawks as we are commonly known as being one of the five original nations in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This small community predates the 1846 Border agreement of Canada and the United States of America, making it the only community that intercedes two countries. The Native North American Travelling College (NNATC) started out as only a van filled with resources in 1969.

The NNATC was a group of young and eager Akwesasronon, founded by Dr. Ernest Kaientaronkwen Benedict and Micheal Kanentakeron Mitchell. In those days they were known as ‘The North American Indian Travelling College’ and would travel between Native communities, educating people on what it means to be Indigenous. In 1974, NNATC established a building of its own. Little did they know, this idea would blossom into an important and integral part of all modern Haudenosaunee society. To honor our rich culture and storied past, we invite you to join us at our center.”

How Can You Best Experience the Offerings of the Native North American Travelling College?

There are a number of ways that you can experience the College, so let’s double-click a bit on how you can make the most of your visit.

Take a Tour

I greatly appreciated the opportunity to take part in a guided tour here. We started in the museum area, where I learned from the staff here about the three main clans of Mohawk peoples (Wolf, Bear, and Turtle), the famous “Skywoman” story, and a myriad of facts that I wish I’d learned about in school growing up, quite frankly. I had no idea, for example, that Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic (meaning one word could constitute a whole sentence).

They had artifacts here that were priceless – some of which Jake let me know dated back thousands of years.

After we strolled through the museum, we walked around outdoors, and I got to take in the beautiful lake views, as well as see different gathering and performance areas, and eventually to sit down for an excellent meal.

You can head here to learn more about taking a tour, which I believe at the time of publication, they still offer both online and in-person. They can accommodate a variety of group sizes as well as preferences for how the tour will unfold, so you can feel free to reach out to them for further information. Their NNATC Museum Tour Form may be a good place to start, or you can reach the NNATC at info@nnatc.org or 613-932-9452.

Hours of operation are typically Monday to Friday, 9am-3pm.

Check Out Their Shop

You’ll find everything here from books to posters to gifts and more. Personally, as a children’s book author myself, I love to see the collection of kid’s books on offer, following Kaheriio as he navigates busy days, projects, lacrosse, and so much more.

There’s everything here from practical books on drum & rattle making to traditional teachings and clanology, as well as Haudenosaunee symbolism and designs.

The gifts, ranging from earrings to sweetgrass lacrosse sticks may also be of interest to visitors, or those looking to learn more about this rich culture.

Stay in the Know

The best place that I’ve found to keep track of what’s going on at the Native North American Travelling College is their active Facebook Page. That being said, you can also check out the “News” section of their website, which provides regular updates and press releases as to what’s going on. I got the sense that there’s always something in the works here, so it’s worth staying on top of what’s on the go.

I’d also say that it makes sense to look out for any upcoming events. They recently had an event to commemorate National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30th, for example. They powerfully note there that “we will honour our ancestors, our grandparents, our siblings, our children by never forgetting the harm that was sent to us from the government, schools, communities and religious orders that sought to destroy our people from the roots. Thankfully our healers, leaders and cultural protectors had pockets that held the seeds and songs of our culture, they saved our people by retaining all that we need to sustain our future and present.”

Visiting the NNATC, in our humble opinion, is one way that visitors can understand the seeds of the culture that were saved, and the incredible work that the community is doing to band together and share their story — a story that more people in this province need to know, from their perspective.

A Short Drive From Cornwall, The NNATC Awaits

I’m grateful that during my recent visit to Cornwall, I had the privilege of spending some time here. The whole We Explore Canada team knew that when we started this site, we had to cover some of the key locations that Canadian tourists would have on their map – Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton etc.

But what about the places that Canadian tourists didn’t have on their map but should?

Our visit here was a reminder that travel isn’t just about checking things off of a bucket-list, it’s also about coming to listen and learn about an important history from the source. A place to forget about the textbooks that so inadequately told the story of indigenous peoples in our respective classrooms, and to come and see what textbooks are in their shop, and to learn about stories and ideas that have value for all people.

The NNATC is an educational institution and organization dedicated to the preservation and retention of Native American culture and traditions. And that’s one side of the coin, but the other side of the coin is knowing that visitors from all backgrounds are going to be welcomed here with open arms, and they’ll leave here with so much more than whatever they may decide to purchase from the gift shop.