Haskell Indian Nations University, Public tribal university in Lawrence, United States.
Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal university in Lawrence, Kansas, that spreads across a campus with educational facilities and residence halls for indigenous students. Twelve buildings on the grounds hold national historic landmark status and reflect the long presence of the institution.
The school opened in 1884 as the United States Indian Industrial Training School with a mission to train young indigenous people in manual trades. Over the decades it evolved from a boarding school with strict assimilation goals to a higher education institution that now promotes indigenous identity and awards academic degrees.
The name honors Dudley Haskell, a Kansas congressman who advocated for funding the school. Students from more than 150 tribes live and study together here, with traditional ceremonies and powwows shaping campus life.
Access to the campus is free, but many areas are reserved for students and staff. The cultural center and museum are open to visitors and offer insight into indigenous art and history.
The Medicine Wheel Earthwork from 1992 marks solstices and equinoxes through its alignment and serves as a place for ceremony and reflection. The Indian Leader newspaper was founded in 1897, making it the oldest student-run indigenous publication in North America.
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