The Thanksgiving Address, used to open all traditional Mohawk gatherings, is the foundation for the curriculum. It provides guidelines for learning respect and giving thanks to the Creator and to all creation. It teaches that creation has a spirit and is a living being. Each school day is opened and is closed by one of the students giving the Thanksgiving Address in Mohawk from memory. Thus, each student is trained to be a public speaker.
Language is the key to cultural survival. Because language exists in a social context, language is taught thematically. A general introduction is given to vocabulary, semantics, and syntax. Language is learned through speaking, singing, writing and reading. The final semester is taught in English to ease the transition to public schools, where federal funds provide only one-half hour of Mohawk language instruction daily.
Mathematics is taught in a program similar to the public school’s. All basic skills, including the metric system, are covered.
Science is taught with the goal that students will develop the skills and attitudes necessary for making wise decisions about the future. The child’s curiosity and awareness are developed by studying the areas mentioned in the Thanksgiving Address: health and medicines, grasses, trees, animals, birds, water, wind, Thunder, Sun, the Moon, and the Earth.
History and geography are taught to help students understand their way of life from the physical, historical, economic, and human views. Both traditional ceremonial and contemporary events are examined.
Kanien’keha:ka Aohsera, or the Mohawk Ceremonial Year, is a vital part of the students’ education. The students go to the Longhouse to celebrate the Traditional fifteen ceremonies. These are the only holidays during the school year.* Below is the ceremonial cycle:
* The school officially acknowledges Martin Luther King Day.