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September 6, 2007

American Indian festival this weekend at Plug Pond

Joni Quinn

People will experience ancient American Indian culture during the 19th annual Intertribal Pow-Wow and Native American Crafts Festival at Plug Pond this weekend.

The event, co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness and the Haverhill Recreation Department through a grant from the Haverhill Cultural Council, is Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The gathering of so many people and sharing our culture and traditions really is amazing. It’s a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn about our history,” said John “Sly Fox” Oakley, a full-blooded Mashpee Wampanoag who has participated all 19 years.

This year’s event will feature the Wolf Cry Singers, an intertribal women’s hand drum group made of members from Massachusetts. Their music includes traditional and contemporary Mi’kMaq, Cherokee, Navajo, Abenaki and Delaware songs and chants. Their mission is to keep the tribes’ spirit and languages alive through their music, as well as their connection as women to each other and “all relations.”

Iroquois songs and dances will be taught and performed by Dave Little Tree and his wife, Jenny, on both days of the festival. Some of the dances they will perform include the Women’s Shuffle, Shake the Bush, Rabbit Dance, Alligator Dance, Fish Dance, Round Dance, Moccasin Dance and Smoke Dance.

American Indian drumming and singing will be performed by the Iron River Singers of Southeastern Massachusetts.

Mashpee Wampanoag artist Marlene Blake will demonstrate finger-weaving using natural materials, like hemp and animal hair. Her designs are influenced by those of the 18th century Eastern Woodland and Plains tribes, including the arrowhead, lightning, chevron, diagonal, diamond and Canadian flame.

Other handmade arts and crafts like jewelry, dream catchers, stone carvings, wall paintings, vases, blankets and baskets will be on display and for sale.

American Indian food — buffalo burgers, buffalo sausage, buffalo chili, marinated venison and succotash — will be for sale, as will hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, soda and other snacks.

During the event Oakley will carry an American Indian flag made of eagle feathers, which represent the native people. He will also be answering questions, claiming he has yet to be stumped.

Oakley used to travel to schools and visit Scout groups to educate students about American Indian culture but doesn’t have as many opportunities now, because people are gravitating to the Internet for research.

Each area within the pow-wow will represent a different tribe showing the different customs and methods for doing things.

“You’ll never see two people in the same native dress. We use a lot of feathers and different things to make each dress authentic and unique,” Oakley said.

The drum serves as the heartbeat of the pow-wow.

“The drums are my favorite part of the festival. I was really sick one year before the festival and thought I had beat it. I started to feel ill again but as soon as those drums started, I felt like a million bucks. It really was incredible,” said Oakley.

One of the cultural educational components of the event is a set-up of two native homes. Visitors will be allowed inside a wickiup and a tipi and learn the difference between the two.

The wickiup, primarily used by tribes in the Southwestern U.S., is a circular-framed home with a covering of skins. The tepee is cone-shaped with a covering of buffalo hide. It was used as a dwelling for transient people in the Plains region.

“People can learn about our different traditions, how we use most of the materials from the ground to make things and that we never hunt just to hunt. We use everything from the animal including the fur, feathers and claws to make our clothes, jewelry and other such needs,” Oakley said. “We hold this event to educate people and let them know we’re still here. People seem to enjoy it because we see the same faces year after year. We must be doing something right.”

Admission is a $4 donation for adults, $3 seniors and MCNAA members, $2 children ages 4 to 12, and free for children 3 and under. Parking is $2. Participants are asked to bring a blanket or lawn chair for seating. No dogs, swimming, drugs or alcohol are permitted.

The MCNAA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop and implement programs that serve the cultural and spiritual needs of Massachusetts American Indians; to financially assist needy American Indian residents with food, heating costs and college-related expenses; to increase public understanding, awareness and appreciation about American Indians; and to preserve their cultural, spiritual and traditional ways.

For information on the annual pow-wow or the MCNAA, call 617-884-4227 or visit www.mcnaa.org.

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