The Haskell Cultural Center and Museum reopened Friday after years of being mostly closed to the public.
Miss Haskell, Kylie Standingwater, of the Cherokee and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma, was excited for the cultural center to open so it would bring people to Haskell’s campus to learn about the university.
“This is a great focus for people to come and learn about campus, about the students here, like why we come here,” Standingwater said. “It’s a great opportunity to visit with the Haskell students, visit with everyone at Haskell.”
The cultural center originally opened on September 14, 2002, according to the cultural center’s website.
According to the website, “The vision of the Haskell Cultural Center and Museum is to respectfully serve as a steward of living tribal materials, traditions and cultural arts.”
The cultural center closed for various reasons, including but not limited to infrastructure issues, university leadership changes and not having a director, said Haskell Board of Regents President Brittany Hall.
The cultural center is used for student research at Haskell Indian Nations University, Standingwater said.
“A lot of us come in here like, we have research papers,” Standingwater said. “All of our questions get answered here.”
Head of Career Services Angelina Adams, of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, said the reopening means a lot to alumni of the university and is a significant place for current students.
“I think all of our learning should start here,” Adams said, “because they need to know that our ancestors gave up many rights for our education and our healthcare so they were smart enough to look towards the future to secure those two things.”
The Haskell Cultural Center and Museum will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning June 12.
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Caroline Zimmerman (she/her) interned for The Lawrence Times in May – August 2023. She has also covered crime and public safety for the University Daily Kansan, and the Eudora City Commission for the Eudora Times.
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