Celebrate Native America

Experience a special presentation of Haudenosaunee history and performances of traditional social dance during Celebrate Native America. This family-friendly event takes place on Saturday, August 10 from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Lucy B. Hamilton Amphitheater, on the lakeshore behind Fenimore Art Museum. Regular museum admission includes access to the event, Fenimore’s summer exhibitions, and the museum’s other event that day, Art by the Lake. Young people, ages 19 and under, are free.

This year’s theme is “Women’s Vital Role in Native Cultures.” Seneca Nation Archives Manager Rebecca Bowen will give a presentation on Seneca women. There will be performances by the Akwesasne Women Singers and Chris Thomas and His Smoke Dancers. Native crafters will also be present to sell their works. Fenimore Art Museum’s Otsego: A Meeting Place, featuring a reproduction Seneca log house and Mohawk bark house, will be open during the day for tours.

Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges.

The event is sponsored in part by the Community Foundation of Otsego County.

SCHEDULE:

10:45am: Welcome and Thanksgiving Address

11:00am: Performance by the Akwesasne Women Singers

12:00pm: “Seneca Women: Always a Voice,” a presentation by Rebecca Bowen, Archives Manager at the Onöhsagwë:dé Cultural Center of the Seneca Nation

2:00pm: Participatory Haudenosaunee Dance by Chris Thomas (Onondaga) and His Smoke Dancers

3:00pm: Women’s Wisdom: A Series of True Stories and their Meanings

3:30pm: Expressions of Gratitude and Closing Remarks

Admission: Adults (20-64) $17.50; Seniors (65+) $12.50. Admission is free for visitors 19 and under, as well as for members, active military, and retired career military personnel. Free museum admission is also available for those receiving SNAP benefits (up to 4 people).