American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program

10/14/2026

Catch this unmissable film at the Cornell Cinema on October 25th!🎞️

10/13/2026

Talks and more this month!

Kurt Jordan from Cornell University Departments of Anthropology and American Indian and Indigenous Studies will speak on October 15, 6:30 PM at the Tompkins County Public Library Borg Warner Community Room.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND LANGUAGES IN THE CAYUGA LAKE REGION

This talk provides an overview of the linguistic and cultural history of the Indigenous peoples of the Cayuga Lake region, ranging from the end of the last Ice Age to the present.

The information presented is drawn from scholarly study of archaeology, history, and linguistics; current events research; and perspectives from Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ (Cayuga) communities. ASL/English interpretation will be provided.

Jordan is Professor of Anthropology and American Indian and Indigenous Studies at Cornell University. His publications include The Gayogo̱hó:nǫʔ People in the Cayuga Lake Region: A Brief History (Tompkins Historical Commission, 2022) and The Seneca Restoration, 1715-1754: An Iroquois Local Political Economy (University Press of Florida, 2008).

This talk is part of Language, Memory, Future: Celebrating 250 Years of Language in our Region, part of the Arts & Sciences College Arts Unplugged series. Language, Memory, Future events run from October 15 through November 6.

10/10/2026

'Rooted in Reciprocity' runs until the end of next year 🍂

Drop by the Cornell Botanic Gardens and check out the fantastic work of our indigenous students!

Through plants and personal stories, a new student-led exhibit at Cornell Botanic Gardens explores the concept that people live because the natural world lives.

10/03/2026

Happy Fall! 🍂

It's a packed October at AIISP. Along with our continuing Speaker Series, the following events will be on at Akwe:kon, Caldwell, and campus at large:

Oct 6 - Akwe:kon & Ganędagǫ: Campfire Social (6-8 pm)
Oct 12 - Indigenous Peoples' Day
Oct 12/13 - Fall Break
Oct 19 - Akwe:kon Faculty Fellows Dinner (530-7 pm)
Oct 26 - Akwe:kon Faculty Fellows Dinner (530-7 pm)
Oct 29 - Indigenous Foods Potluck at Akwe:kon (6-8 pm)

10/01/2026

New talk this Monday!

Hear AIISP's very own Noah Mapes discuss the presence of our animal relatives in Ashinaabe diplomacy.

09/30/2026

Our Indigenous student community and the wider public are invited to the opening celebration for Cultivating Hope: Plants and Indigenous Knowledge at Cornell Botanic Gardens!

This exhibit and garden has come together through collaboration between Cornell Botanic Gardens staff as well as Indigenous students, staff, and faculty.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to highlight Indigenous relationships with plants and land as a whole. Featuring important plants for the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ people, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and other Indigenous communities represented at the University, the exhibit offers an opportunity to learn and think about one's own relationships with land and other living beings.

The exhibit also features snippets from student listening sessions, where students discuss plants important to them, their families, and communities.

We hope that you join us for light refreshments and conversation as you interact with the exhibit and gardens!

09/29/2026

Tomorrow is Orange Shirt Day, when we commemorate indigenous communities deeply harmed by the Residential and Boarding Schools system in North America.

Cornell Cinema & AIISP have put together a list of films that explore the lives and experiences of indigenous people during the period.

We'll be holding a commemorative walk, starting from Caldwell hall at 5pm tomorrow. All orange clothing is welcome.

Cornell Cinema and the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program recommend films for Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30 that examine Indigenous residential and boarding school histories. The Cornell University initiative highlights Indigenous resilience, truth and reconciliation, and includes a remem...

09/25/2026

AIISP at Cornell will be marking Orange Shirt Day next Wednesday.

We'll be holding a rememberance walk from Caldwell Hall, followed by a film screening at Akwe:kon.

09/24/2026

Dr Mariaelena Huambachano will be leading our next talk on indigenous foodways this Monday at Caldwell Hall!

09/17/2026

Talk next Wednesday!