Iroquoia: People of the Longhouse

When: September 10 - 16, 2010
Where: New York
How Much:$1,495 per person ($275 single supplement)

Join us as we travel across New York and explore the rich history and archaeology of the Iroquois. Joined by noted Iroquoian archaeologist Dr. William Engelbrecht, our trip begins and ends in Albany. Along the way we will meet with researchers, archaeologists and native people at a variety of archaeological sites, museums, and interpretive centers. Some of the sites we will visit include the New York State Museum, the Iroquois Indian Museum, the Rochester Museum and Science Center, The Kateri Shrine, Fort Stanwix, Ft. Niagara, Johnson Hall, Lamoka Lake (NHL) and Ganondagan. This tour also includes an overnight stay in Niagara Falls and a tour of one of the Finger Lake region’s noted wineries.

Friday, September 10
Join us in Albany at the Hilton Garden Inn for a welcome reception and kick-off lecture by noted Iroquoian archaeologist Dr. Bill Engelbrecht, who will also be joining us for a portion of our trip.

Saturday, September 11
We’ll start our exploration of Iroquoia with an examination of some of the material culture of the Iroquois. First we’ll visit the collections of the New York State Museum with a behind the scenes tour led by New York State Archaeologist Dr. Christina Rieth. We’ll then travel to the Iroquois Indian Museum at Howes Cave which is constructed in the form of an Iroquoian longhouse. 

Sunday, September 12
We are off to tour the house and grounds at Johnson Hall in Johnstown. Built by Sir William Johnson in 1762, it is one of only two Baronial Mansions now standing in the United States. As the largest single landowner and most influential individual in the settlement of the Mohawk Valley, William Johnson also played an important role in negotiations with the Iroquois as a British Indian agent. We’ll then travel to the site of the Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine, site of a 17th century Mohawk village and home to Kateri Tekakwitha, an early Christian convert who has been beatified by the Roman Catholic Church.

Monday, September 13
We’ll spend the morning at the magnificent reconstruction of Fort Stanwix, an 18th century fort used in both the French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War. Now a National Park, the area containing the fort was extensively excavated in the 1970s. Next we are off to visit the Conservancy’s preserve at Lamoka Lake. In addition to being a National Historic Landmark, it was the first site in North America to be associated with the Archaic period in American archaeology. We will end the day with a visit to the nearby McGregor Winery to sample some of the Finger Lakes finest wines. Then we’ll head to Niagara Falls to spend the night.

Tuesday, September 14
We will start our day with a brief visit to the American side of Niagara Falls. We will then head to scenic Fort Niagara. Standing on a bluff above Lake Ontario, Fort Niagara has dominated the entrance to the Niagara River since 1726. The fort played an important role in the struggles of France, Great Britain, and the United States to control the Great Lakes region of North America, and also helped shape the destinies of the Iroquois (Six Nations) peoples and the nation of Canada.

Wednesday, September 15
We’ll begin the day with a visit to the Rochester Museum and Science Center where we’ll meet with archaeologists and see the center’s wonderful collection of Iroquois material culture. Next we are off to the 17th century Seneca site of Ganondagan, where we will tour a full-size replica of a 17th-century Seneca Bark Longhouse and take a walking tour of this unique site. We will return to Albany where we will spend the night.

Thursday, September 16
Participants depart for home.

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