American Indian cultures will be on full interactive display over two days in October at the Jamestown Settlement.
The museum of 17th century Virginia history and culture will present an American Indian Intertribal Powwow Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 and 2. Members of American Indian tribes will share song and dance, as well as storytelling and other aspects of American Indian culture and experience.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, visitors will be able to take in Powwow events, like the “Grand Entry” with a parade of dancers on the museum mall, followed by an afternoon of singing and dancing until 4:30 p.m. Among the featured singers will be Thunder Voices of the Lumbee, from Lumberton, North Carolina; Zotigh Singers of the Kiowa, from Oklahoma; and The White Buffalo Singers of the Lakota, from Rosebud, South Dakota.
Visitors can view the one-hour documentary film “Rising Voices,” which will screen three times daily, to learn about the endangered indigenous language of the Lakota people. The film is part of The Language Conservancy’s ongoing effort to preserve and revitalize languages in North America. After the film, elders and first-language speakers from the Lakota in South Dakota and Crow in Montana will be on hand to discuss the film and facilitate children’s activities.
Storyteller Grace Ostrum of the Accohannock will present American Indian stories throughout the day, and a birds of prey program by Eagle Pines Falconry featuring falcons and other raptors will occur on the museum mall each day at 11:45 a.m.
Folk artist Kevin Locke, who is both Lakota and Anishinabe, is an indigenous Northern Plains flute player, storyteller and world-renowned hoop dancer who will perform during the Powwow. He combines songs on the flute with American Indian stories that touch on the Lakota culture and sign language, according to a press release from the Jamestown Yorktown Foundation. Locke’s Saturday night concert will also feature a hoop dance, an athletic healing dance during which Locke uses 28 hoops to form various animals and shapes. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. and requires a separate admission for guests.
Locke will also conduct flute workshops for children on both days. He’ll show children how to build and paint their own flute and teach them a song, with participants during the Saturday workshops invited to perform with Locke during the Saturday evening show, and those taking part in the Sunday workshops invited to join in the Sunday daytime Powwow dancing event. A separate fee is required for workshop participation.
Click here for the weekend’s performance schedule, along with additional fees for workshops.
The American Indian Intertribal Powwow daytime event is free for residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including College of William and Mary students, with proof of residency. For all others, admission is $17 for adults and $8 for ages 6 through 12, with children under 6 admitted free.
