Our group is the Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge. We have submitted a formal offer to convert Wells College into an international, accredited university for the preservation and formal instruction in all areas of Native culture, language, agriculture, technology and the fine arts. Our unique, innovative curriculum will attract hundreds of students from throughout the world. We will also create a conference center, expand the existing health clinic and preserve the ecological integrity of the campus. We will create hundreds of jobs.
Our offer will carry on the grand tradition of Wells in the best way possible. We will also host music concerts and are planning the largest Native art show east of the Mississippi. We have the support of the traditional Cayuga Nation and are committed to working in partnership with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to realize a dream long held by our people — which is to establish a learning center of the highest academic standards. We will also make a home for the Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse teams, a center for the Native Veterans of New York with an attendant cemetery and a Native Boarding School Resource facility.
We will create an alliance with local, regional state and federal political leaders to insure our university has their support. We have met with the residents of Aurora and are pleased with their enthusiasm for our plans which are detailed, comprehensive and rational. We are ready to move forward once the Wells trustees have made their decision to return the campus to the embrace of an organization rooted in the best traditions of our ancestors.Â
Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, is vice-president of Hiawatha Institute for Indigenous Knowledge. He lives in Oneida Castle.
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