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Explore the Schoharie Valley’s Iroquois Indian Museum

posted by Teresa Farrell at 2018-08-01 21:40:00

As you travel Upstate New York, make sure to add a visit to the Iroquois Indian Museum to your itinerary.  Located in the town of Howe’s Cave, in the beautiful Schoharie Valley—located between the Capital Region and Central New York-- the museum offers a perfect blend of interesting exhibits and artifacts, a gorgeous natural setting, and a fascinating collection of historical stories that come to life for visitors.


Housed in a building designed to look and feel like the famous Iroquois longhouses, the museum is devoted to the art and history of all six nations of the Iroquois—also known as Haudenosaunee—Confederation, in what is now Upstate NY. Split into Contemporary, Historic and Archeological collections, exhibits convey the Iroquois' culture and traditions and their influence throughout history, with everything from modern art to historic items to artifacts dating back thousands of years.

The museum houses an elaborate and extremely popular kids’ area, a friendly space designed as an extension of the feature exhibition. There are puzzles, quizzes, and take-home coloring pages, a large basket that families can participate in weaving portions of together, and more. There’s also a live turtle pond, beloved by all ages, which highlights the Iroquois’ relationship with the natural world. That relationship is further explored at the museum’s 45-acre Nature Park, with trails through fields, woods, and along streams open for both guided and self-guided tours.


The museum plays host to a variety of festivals and special events throughout the year. The museum’s ever-popular Iroquois Indian Festival, which takes place on Labor Day weekend each year, offers visitors the chance to watch dancers and even join in, hear the fascinating tales of traditional storytellers, meet and purchase both traditional and contemporary art directly from Iroquois artists, sample authentic food, learn about birds of prey from local wildlife rehabilitators, and participate in traditional craft activities, including beadwork and cornhusk doll making for the kids.

PHOTO CREDITS

Museum Longhouse credit Iroquois Indian Museum
Haudenosaunee dancers photo credit Iroquois Indian Museum
Kids activities photo credit Iroquois Indian Museum
Haudenosaunee dancers 2 photo credit Iroquois Indian Museum
Dave Greene Eagle scuplture photo credit Iroquois Indian Museum
 
 
 

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