Oneida Nation celebrates opening of Kahnekano·lú

The Oneida Nation celebrated the grand opening of the new Kahnekano·lú Cultural Center Saturday, at 10 a.m. on June 20, located at 760 Airport Rd. in Oneida.

Kahnekano·lú (Precious Water), pronounced gu-nay-gu-no-lu, is the Oneida name for the new cultural center.

Water played a vital role in the Oneida Nation’s decision to settle near Duck Creek in the 1820’s because its water provided essential resources and sustenance for the tribe.

Kahnekano·lú is a 21,000-square-foot facility that will host many new exhibits, interactive displays, including an expanded gift shop along with programming for visitors of all ages.

In 1979 Oneida opened a small museum with a small collection and has grown to an inventory of over 3000 objects, 12,000 photographs and 25,000 pieces of archival material.

Stacy Coon, Cultural Center Director expressed great satisfaction with the recent move and said, “This new location is much more visible and accessible to visitors. We are pleased to have a facility that is conducive to educating our visitors about our history, culture and traditions. It’s always been our desire to foster community involvement and bridge the gap between past and present traditional and contemporary artforms. Our ability has been expanded to preserve our cultural identity and empower Oneida people to tell our own story.”

The public is invited to visit the Kahnekano·lú Cultural Center and enjoy the new space along with the newly updated and expanded interactive exhibits about Oneida culture and history to include an expanded gift shop and an outdoor cultural performance space.

“When people come to our community, we want them to know that they are in the presence of a tribal nation that has a deep, rich and active tribal culture and history,” Coon said. “An expanded physical place that continues to protect, preserve and strengthen the sovereignty of our nation through education, the preservation and care for artifacts and the foundations of our culture, this space will educate our visitors about the great contributions that Oneida people have made not only to our own community, but one that stretches further than that onto the greater American society.”