Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe

The Akwesasne Cultural Center, composed of the Akwesasne Library and Museum, is a community organization dedicated to the preservation of Kanienkehaka/Mohawk culture and educating community members, future generations, and the general public. Basketry is the traditional art form for which the community is best known; the museum collects and exhibits a variety of historic and contemporary pieces. In order to promote, preserve, and share the tribe's strong basket-making tradition, the Akwesasne Museum will use this grant to send 14 tribal basket makers to participate in the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The festival will feature Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions, a multiyear, multifaceted celebration of Native basket-making traditions of North America and Hawaii.