Haskell Indian Nations University | Lawrence

Haskell Indian Nations University, located in Lawrence, Kansas, is one of the most significant Native American educational institutions in the United States. It has evolved from a late 19th-century government boarding school into a fully accredited intertribal university, offering higher education rooted in Native values, sovereignty, and cultural preservation. The university serves students representing more than 140 federally recognized tribes from across the country and holds deep historical, cultural, and educational importance.

Founding and Early History

Haskell was founded in 1884 as the United States Industrial Training School, part of the federal government’s policy to assimilate Native Americans through education. It opened with 22 students from various tribes, all brought to Lawrence under the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).

The institution was renamed the Haskell Institute in 1887, in honor of U.S. Representative Dudley C. Haskell of Kansas, who had advocated for its establishment. In its earliest years, Haskell functioned as a boarding school for Native American children, modeled after the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania.

Students were taught manual trades, agriculture, and domestic work. The goal was assimilation - to train Native youth to adopt Euro-American culture and language. Children were separated from their families and forbidden to speak their native languages. While this era is remembered as deeply painful for Native communities, Haskell later became a powerful symbol of cultural survival and Indigenous resilience.

Transition and Reform

By the early 20th century, Haskell began shifting from a strictly industrial and assimilationist model toward academic education.

1927: Haskell established a high school curriculum and athletic programs that gained national recognition.

1930s–1950s: As federal Indian policy evolved, the school increasingly focused on cultural respect and self-determination.

1970: Haskell transitioned into a junior college, offering associate degrees and opening its doors to tribal students nationwide.

1993: It achieved university status, becoming Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) - a fully accredited, federally operated, intertribal institution of higher learning.

This transformation reflected a profound shift: from a government institution of assimilation to a Native-controlled center of education and empowerment.

Academic Programs and Mission

Today, Haskell Indian Nations University offers associate and bachelor’s degree programs with an emphasis on Native heritage, environmental stewardship, and tribal governance.

Degree Programs include:

Bachelor’s Degrees:

Indigenous and American Indian Studies

Environmental Science

Business Administration

Elementary Education

Associate Degrees:

Natural Science

Social Work

Liberal Arts

Community Health

The curriculum integrates Western academic knowledge with Indigenous worldviews. Courses often focus on land ethics, sovereignty, cultural revitalization, and community development. The university’s mission centers on advancing tribal self-determination and nation building through education.

Campus and Landmarks

The Haskell campus covers approximately 320 acres in southern Lawrence and includes both historic and modern buildings, many of which hold cultural and architectural significance.

Key Landmarks:

Haskell Memorial Stadium (1926): Once the home of Haskell’s celebrated football team, which competed against major universities across the country. Today it stands as a tribute to generations of student-athletes and a symbol of Native achievement.

Haskell Cemetery: A solemn site within the campus where more than 100 children who died during the boarding school era are buried. The cemetery serves as a place of remembrance and healing.

Coffin Sports Complex: Named for longtime coach Tony Coffin, it hosts athletic and community events, continuing Haskell’s strong sports traditions.

Auditorium and Bell Tower: Historic landmarks symbolizing the school’s transformation from federal control to Native leadership.

Medicine Wheel Earthwork: A sacred site on the campus used for ceremonies, reflection, and intertribal gatherings, symbolizing renewal and harmony with nature.

The entire Haskell campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reflecting its cultural and historical importance.

Athletics and Cultural Legacy

In the early 20th century, Haskell Institute became famous for its football program, which gained national recognition. The Haskell Fighting Indians competed against teams such as Notre Dame, Army, and Texas. The team’s success was a source of immense pride in Native communities and helped challenge stereotypes about Indigenous people.

Today, Haskell competes in various collegiate sports, including basketball, track and field, and cross country, but its athletic mission is tied closely to education and cultural pride rather than national competition.

Cultural and Community Life

Haskell Indian Nations University is more than a place of study - it is a living community of Indigenous nations. Students come from across the United States and Alaska, bringing diverse languages, traditions, and perspectives.

Campus life centers around cultural events, ceremonies, and gatherings that celebrate Native identity and unity. The Haskell Cultural Center and Museum preserves artifacts, photographs, and oral histories, telling the story of Haskell’s evolution from a boarding school to a university of empowerment.

The university also hosts:

Haskell Commencement Powwow: A major annual event attracting tribes from across the continent for celebration, dancing, and ceremony.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebrations: Events promoting solidarity and education on Native rights.

Cultural workshops and environmental programs that reinforce the university’s philosophy of balance between community, heritage, and the natural world.

Role in Native Sovereignty and Education

Haskell is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) but operates under strong Native leadership. Its programs are deeply connected to tribal sovereignty, offering a space where Indigenous perspectives guide academic and administrative decisions.

The university provides affordable higher education opportunities specifically for Native American and Alaska Native students, funded primarily through federal appropriations. Its graduates often go on to leadership roles within tribal governments, education, environmental management, and national Native advocacy organizations.

Haskell’s partnerships with other institutions - including the University of Kansas, just north of the campus - foster research in Indigenous studies, environmental science, and language preservation.

Visiting Information

Location: 155 Indian Avenue, Lawrence, Kansas

Campus Access: Open to the public for tours, ceremonies, and educational events. Visitors are expected to be respectful, particularly near sacred sites such as the cemetery and Medicine Wheel.

Cultural Center and Museum Hours: Typically open weekdays for self-guided or group tours.

Admission: Free, with donations accepted to support preservation and student initiatives.

Significance

Haskell Indian Nations University stands as a powerful symbol of Indigenous perseverance and self-determination. From its painful origins as a federal assimilation school, it has transformed into a national center of Native learning and cultural renewal.

Its existence represents both a remembrance of historical injustices and a testament to Native nations’ enduring strength, wisdom, and unity. Today, Haskell continues to educate new generations of Indigenous leaders - men and women who carry forward the traditions, sovereignty, and spiritual values of their peoples.

The institution remains a cornerstone of Native American history and a sacred space where the past and future of Indigenous education come together.