Fifteen tribal nations, including the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohicans, will join a celebration of Native American culture in South County on the weekend of October 8-10, 2022.
October 8 at 7:30 PM at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington
Honoring Native America
- a virtual message from Carlos Nakai, the world’s premier performer of the Native American flute;
- songs from the Stockbridge-Munsee Powwow Drum Family, GiiTaa’se Singers and Joan Henry;
- NAACP-Berkshires President, Dennis Powell, awarding Larry Spotted Crow Mann of Okheteau Cultural Center with the first-ever Indigenous Peoples Award
- keynote speeches from Rhonda Anderson, Western Massachusetts Commissioner on Indian Affairs; and Grandmother Margaret Behan from the Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers
- Chief Justice Emeritus Robert Yazzie and Cheryl Fairbanks, Esq. speaking about
- Indigenous PeaceMaking.
Click https://mahaiwe.org/event/honoring-native-america/ to register
These events are informed by the first annual Northeast Council for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a convening of native leaders representing 15 First Nations at Kripalu over the weekend. The aim is to strengthen relationships between native and nonnative allies and encourage collaboration for our collective future.
October 9 at Kripalu 7:30 PM
Indigenous Voices Panel
Although the council meeting is private, an Indigenous Voices Panel will be livestreamed from Kripalu, on Sunday night. Use this link to register for the panel https://www.union.fit/events/kripalu-listening-deeply-indigenous-voices-panel-a-livestream-experience/performances/2mmgfmxm
October 10 in Great Barrington at 11 AM
Ceremonial Walk
Begins at the Gazebo behind Town Hall at 11 a.m. with Gordon Williams and his Stockbridge-Munsee Powwow Drum Family, GiiTaa’se Singers, playing their powwow drum. The family is traveling here from their reservation in Wisconsin, invited by Shawn Stevens, a Munsee cultural educator. Use this link to register for the walk https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indigenous-peoples-day-ceremonial-walk-on-main-street-in-great-barrington-tickets-412950154027