Funding will support innovative course development, cultural programming, and collaborative research between faculty, students, and members of the Oneida Indian Nation. This grant will also provide the resources to integrate Indigenous knowledge systems, history, and contemporary issues into Hamilton’s curriculum.
Hamilton College was founded in 1793 as a school for local American Indian and colonial settler children on land originally given by Oneida Indian Chief Shenendoah to Reverend Samuel Kirkland. When the then Hamilton-Oneida Academy was re-envisioned as Hamilton College in 1812, what began as a joint educational vision became focused solely on settler youth, omitting any commitment to educating Indigenous youth. The 1793 Promise went unfulfilled, and in the years since, the Oneida Indian Nation experienced what many American Indian Nations in the U.S. have experienced: the violence of settler colonialism.
“This renewed partnership [between Hamilton College and the Oneida Indian Nation] is grounded in shared history, mutual respect, and a commitment to education and cultural understanding,” said Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Nathan Goodale. He co-leads this initiative with Brianna Burke, Faculty Fellow in Native and Indigenous Studies and Visiting Associate Professor of Environmental Studies. “Hamilton College and the Oneida Indian Nation are uniquely positioned to bring forward narratives that challenge dominant historical frameworks, highlight Indigenous perspectives, and inspire thoughtful dialogue about the future of America.”
Through flexibility in focus areas, AIIS will shift lines of inquiry related to Indigenous rights, justice, and knowledge creation within a traditional liberal arts educational setting based on curricular needs, student demand, and political and social exigencies. Weaving Indigenous knowledge and studies throughout the curriculum, AIIS will prepare Hamilton students to be active and engaged citizens who understand the range of issues American Indian and Indigenous Nations face and who are empowered by the depth and range of their training to build collaborative, equitable partnerships with Indigenous Nations.
Key elements of the initiative include plans to hire two new faculty members specializing in Native and Indigenous studies and provide annual grants for course development to existing faculty. Other grant elements will involve summer research projects, internships for students, and annual events in partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation. Programs beyond the classroom will begin with an Indigenous Film Festival in 2025, followed by a Truth and Reconciliation series in 2026 and a Resilience and Sovereignty speaker series in 2027. The Mellon Grant will also fund the creation of an AIIS Programming Coordinator, preferably a Nation member, who will support the ongoing collaborations between the College and the Nation. The learning goals for the program emphasize recognizing the historical, cultural, and social contributions of Indigenous communities while examining the impacts of settler colonialism, assimilation policies, systemic racism, stereotypes, and ongoing inequalities on Indigenous communities in the 21st century.
Significant milestones that exemplify the depth and richness of this partnership have included the co-creation of a Land Acknowledgment Statement in collaboration with the Oneida Indian Nation. This process involved extensive dialogue to ensure the language was accurate, meaningful, and reflective of shared values. The acknowledgment has since been translated into the Oneida language, amplifying its intent and providing educational materials for students. Additionally, Hamilton College hosted Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter as a keynote speaker for the 2024 Convocation Ceremony. His address underscored the complexities of Indigenous sovereignty and leadership.
An academic program dedicated to American Indian and Indigenous Studies was a priority established with Dean Ngonidzashe Munemo’s arrival at Hamilton in 2022. As a first step in this direction, in 2023, Hamilton hired Brianna Burke as the first Faculty Fellow in Native American and Indigenous Studies. She was tasked with leading and accelerating efforts to build a program in American Indian and Indigenous Studies and coordinating ongoing efforts to collaborate with the Oneida Indian Nation. Since her start in the summer of 2023, Burke has: taught courses with foundations in American Indian Studies; worked with faculty across disciplines and departments to weave American Indian and Indigenous Studies into their classrooms and curriculum; organized a series of lectures and artist performances for the community; created an advisory committee for the program; and developed a curricular structure for a minor in American Indian and Indigenous Studies.
If approved by the faculty, the AIIS program will become the College’s 59th area of study, furthering Hamilton’s fulfillment of the Promise of 1793.
