WILLIAMSBURG — Jamestown Settlement will present a full day of programs and live demonstrations on Saturday, May 13 to commemorate the 1607 founding of Jamestown, and honor the enduring legacies and traditions of the Virginia Indians.
Jamestown was America’s first permanent English settlement. The family-friendly programs will feature Jamestown Day with military salutes and maritime demonstrations. A 10 a.m. artillery salute will signal the departure of the Godspeed, one of the three re-created ships that brought English colonists to Jamestown in 1607, to show sailing maneuvers in the James River, weather permitting.
Visitors to the ship’s pier can also board the Susan Constant and Discovery, and learn how sailors navigated the seas in the 17th century with a special program on celestial navigation and hauling cargo out of the ship’s hold.
In the museum’s re-created fort and Paspahegh Town, guests can also enjoy programs on Powhatan games, recreation, trade, the English and English agriculture. Presentations will also explore methods of English beer making and period cooking, as well as programs on English and Powhatan comparative weaponry and military tactics, including a pike drill and the firing of a 17th-century falcon.
In addition, Indigenous Arts Day begins at 11 a.m., celebrating the enduring legacies of Indigenous culture with traditional and contemporary art forms by Indigenous artists, including special outdoor performances of music and dance.
Clark Stewart (Chickahominy) will emcee performances on Jamestown Settlement’s mall, where a variety of Indigenous artists and craftspeople will display and demonstrate their work throughout the day. Some of the art and crafts will be available for purchase. In case of inclement weather, programs and vendors will move indoors.
Red Crooked Sky American Indian Dance Troupe will lead the day’s performances with Stoney Creek Singers on drum, along with Nottoway flutist Nathan Elliott and Lakota storyteller Felicity Meza-Luna.
A new exhibition, “Tribal Truths,” opening May 11 through September 10, will be on display during the event in the Elmon and Pam Gray Presentation Hall. “Tribal Truths” is a new audio documentary podcast. Each episode will feature a tribal member host and members of Virginia’s Indigenous communities taking listeners to ancestral places as they tell their own stories.
The exhibition will feature artwork from the podcast’s logo competition submitted by Indigenous artists with winning entries selected by Virginia tribal leaders. The podcast is produced by journalist Pamela D’Angelo with a grant from Virginia Humanities and distributed by National Public Radio affiliate, Radio IQ.
Jamestown Settlement, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The museum shop and café are open during museum hours. Parking is free. Special event activities are included with museum admission, and tickets may be purchased online or in person.
For more information, visit jyfmuseums.org or call 757-253-4838.
