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While Haskell Indian Nations University is known today for its educational opportunities and research in American Indian/Alaska Native studies, in the early 1900s through the 1930s it was perhaps best known for its football team. Haskell’s Fighting Indians football team was called the “Powerhouse of the West” and played games against teams like Harvard and Yale.Construction of a stadium to house this winning football team was completed in October 1926, and the jubilant dedication ceremony recognized many firsts and bests: the first stadium built for Native American football, the first lighted stadium in the Midwest, and the largest multi-tribal gathering of the 20th century so far. But the stadium wasn’t the only structure dedicated on that October day in 1926. The festivities also commemorated the completion of the Memorial Arch, the first tribal WWI memorial. The Memorial Arch was funded entirely by two Quapaw women, Agnes Quapaw-Hoffman, and Alice Beaver-Hallam. The Arch memorializes the 415 Haskellites who served in WWI and sheds light on Native contributions to the war effort. Within the first six months of the United States’ entry into the war, more than 12,000 Native Americans had registered for military service. At this time, one-third of Natives were still unrecognized as U.S. citizens, and some soldiers expected the government to reward their service with citizenship. Although Native communities were divided on the issue of citizenship, with many voicing concerns that citizenship would threaten tribal sovereignty, Congress finally granted citizenship with the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. In front of Haskell’s Cultural Center &amp; Museum, visitors can also find the Tribal Veterans Memorial Wall.

The Memorial Arch at the entrance of Haskell Memorial Stadium

Plaque outside of the arch to honor donors

Keeping Legends Alive: The 1926 Dedication of Haskell Stadium and the First Tribal WWI Memorial

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The Memorial Arch at Haskell Indian Nations University was funded through the efforts of Native American donors to honor the 415 Haskellites who served in WWI. It also welcomes visitors to the Memorial Stadium, which was created for Haskell’s powerhouse football team in 1926 and was the first-ever stadium built for Native American football.

Memorial Arch at Haskell Indian Nations University

Walking/Driving tour of the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.

Today, Haskell Indian Nations University is a bustling institution of higher education with more than 1,000 students enrolled each semester. These students represent membership in diverse tribes from across the United States, and while students can select from a variety of programs of study, American Indian/Alaska Native culture is infused into the curricula. But despite the current role it plays in the study and enrichment of Native cultures, Haskell has a shadowed history.Haskell was founded in 1884 as the United States Industrial Training School, later renamed Haskell Institute, where young children were educated in trades such as blacksmithing, farming, sewing, and wagon-making. In addition to teaching trades, the school was intended to assimilate the children into Euro-American culture by separating them from their families and tribes. Work, study, and exercise routines were militantly strict, and corporal punishment was rampant; children were punished for such infractions as speaking their home languages instead of English. There was even a jail cell on campus to lock away those who broke school rules.Over the years, the school’s curriculum evolved, adding a teacher training program and a business training program, high school classes, and industrial training programs. Haskell became famous for its football teams, becoming known as the “Powerhouse of the West.” In 1970, Haskell transitioned into a junior college, and in 1994 it became a Land-Grant Institution.The Land-Grant Institutions are 35 tribally controlled colleges and universities that gained land-grant status through the Equity in Education Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. These institutions are crucial centers for Native education, research, career opportunities, and cultural preservation.In the 21st century, Haskell is home to 12 buildings designated as National Historic Landmarks, as well as the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame, the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum, and the Indian Leader, the oldest Native student newspaper in the United States. It also hosts events such as the Haskell Indian Art Market and the annual Haskell Commencement and Powwow, providing educational and cultural enrichment opportunities for Native and non-Native communities.

Located in Lawrence, KS, Haskell Indian Nations University is a vibrant and diverse education institution that centers American Indian/Alaska Native culture. While today it is a tribally controlled institution, it also reckons with its past as a boarding school intended to assimilate Native youth.

Haskell Indian Nations University

The Haskell Cultural Center and Museum opened on September 14, 2002 at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. The vision of the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum is to respectfully serve as a steward of living tribal materials, traditions and cultural arts. Using these tools as a vehicle of transmission, the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum truthfully conveys the story of Haskell’s remarkable evolution from its founding in 1884 as a government boarding school with the mission to assimilate Native American youth to its present day fully accredited University status offering degrees to citizens of federally recognized tribal nations from across the United States.

Welcome to the online tour for the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum!

Haskell Cultural Center and Museum

<div>The United Methodist Church provided the funding for the construction of this limestone building as a&nbsp;campus chapel. Despite being named as a National Historic Landmark for serving as an auditorium for over a century, the building suffered neglect and has been closed since 2005. Thanks to a multi-million dollar commitment to restore this and other historic buildings on the Haskell campus, crews have worked to restore the building in recent years, with a new roof being added in 2017.&nbsp;&nbsp; The university itself has changed greatly since its opening in 1884. It has gone through curriculum, funding, and civil rights changes. The university is now a state-funded and accredited university for Native Americans to attend. Furthermore, the change in rights have also made a huge impact on the school. Before 1927, the boarding school acted like a military camp for children as they were forced to march to school and church, cut their hair, and the staff at the school took away all of the children’s personal possessions. The children were also taught English, which is the only language they were allowed to speak, as well as different skills based on gender. The boys were taught skills in tailoring, by&nbsp;making their own uniforms, wagon making, harness making, shoe making, and in Blacksmith. The girls, on the other hand, were trained in general homemaking skills, such as cooking and sewing. Furthermore, the majority of the food produced for the school was grown on the Haskell farm and the students were expected to help in growing, harvesting, and preserving the farm food for them to consume later. After 1927, the school was transformed into a national, state-funded school with accredited education and athletics department and underwent some reconstruction.</div><div> </div>

Dedicated in 1899 and named after the great Onondaga leader who helped create the Iroquois League, Hiawatha Hall is the oldest structure on the historic campus of Haskell Indian Nations University. Haskell was established in 1884 as a boarding school for Native American children that reflected the goal of the United States government to eradicate the cultural, religious, and communal ways of Native American tribes through assimilation. While many of the first students were forced to leave their families and perished in the early years of the school, Haskell changed over time and is now an accredited university that is supported by the federal government and attended and led by Native Americans.  

Hiawatha Hall, Haskell Indian Nations University

Haskell Institute, now known as Haskell Indian Nations University, was home to several prominent Native American athletes and their football team was one of the best in the nation in the early 1900s. This stadium was dedicated in 1926 thanks to donations of many Native people throughout the United States. The 1926 dedication ceremony was a celebration of the a new football stadium and its grand memorial arch. The stadium was largely built by the physical labor of Haskell Institute students. To honor this accomplishment a celebration was planned for 27-30 October. Well known Native American athletes and Haskell students, Jim Thorpe and John Levi participated in the celebration. Thorpe kicked while Levi threw passes, one of which reportedly traveled an astonishing 83 yards. The weekend included cultural celebrations related to Native American tribes including a powwow, Buffalo feast, and a Hiawatha performance by Haskell students. The celebration concluded with a football match against Bucknell University from Pennsylvania.Haskell was home to several prominent Native American athletes and fielded one of the most prolific football teams in the early 20th century. The 1903 Haskell Fighting Indians defeated Kansas and Missouri but lost to Nebraska. However, the following year the team defeated Nebraska. Eli Stover played for Haskell and earned all-conference in 1914 and 1915 and earned All American Honorable Mention. The 1915 team played powerful schools like Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, and LSU. The apex of the team's success came in the 1920s. In 1922, Haskell scored 287 points and held opponents to 69 points in seven games in a season that saw Haskell defeat national powerhouse Baylor in front of 4200 fans. In 1926, Haskell seemed poised to continue their success with the dedication of this new football stadium that could hold 10,500 people. Haskell alumni and other Native people donated much of the funds needed to complete this $250,000 stadium which opened with a Homecoming victory over Bucknell by a score of 36-0. However, the team's success did not continue owing to a lack of funding and the university discontinued the football program in the 1930s. The program was later revived and today, Haskell competes against area junior colleges. Jim Thorpe, part of Sac, Fox and Potawatomi nations, attended Haskell for several years and many still consider him to be the most influential and well-known athlete of his era. He might also be the most versatile athlete in American history as he not only played in the National Football League but also set many records in track and field. He won the Olympic Decathlon and also played professional baseball and basketball.John Levi, of the Arapaho tribe attended Haskell in the 1920s where he won All-American Football honors as a fullback. After being recruited by the New York Yankees he returned to Haskell to coach. "I got homesick, Levi explained when discussing his decision to return to Kansas. "I had to return to my people."Billy Mills, of the Oglala tribe, became a runner while attending Haskell. In 1964, he received Olympic Gold Metal for the 10,000 meter run in the Tokyo Olympics and to date is currently the only American to have won the gold in that event. Mills is the spokesman for the Running Strong for American Indian Youth program.

In 1926, the Haskell Institute dedicated to their new football stadium and arch that had been built largely by Haskell students. With funds raised by Native American donors from all over the country and labor provided students who came to Haskell from dozens of tribes, Native Americans around the nation viewed the stadium with great pride. The size and grandeur of the stadium also represented the prominence of Haskell and several other Native American schools in the college football world during the 1920s. Some of the greatest American athletes attended Haskell including John Levi, Jim Thorpe and Billy Mills.

Haskell Indian Nations University Tour

Memorial Arch at Haskell Indian Nations University

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