We are proud to participate in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by making all Nolumbeka Project events free, accessible, and open to all. See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
Full Snow Moon Gathering & Eastern Woodlands Social Dance
A rare opportunity to learn and participate in traditional Eastern Woodlands Native social dances, led by Nipmuc tribal members Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr., and his nephews Daishuan Reddeer Garate and Miguel Wandering Turtle Garate. Honored Guests Liz Coldwind Santana Kiser, Elder, Council Woman and Tribal Historical Preservation Officer for the Chaubunagungamaug Band of Nipmuck Indians and Roger Longtoe Sheehan, Sagamo (Chief) of the Elnu Abenaki Tribe.
The single file call and response dances will be taught and are fun and easy to learn. Bring rattles and shake out the cabin fever! Social dances are done for fun, for socializing, and to express the joy of having been given the gift of life. It is made up of easy to learn steps, done by people of all genders and ages to create a sense of friendship and community.
Free. Refreshments available. Donations appreciated.
This program is supported in part by grants from the Gill, Greenfield, Leyden and Montague Local Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, the Nolumbeka Project, Greenfield Community College, and Whole Foods Market
SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2023 AT 4-6 PM
Crossroads Talk: Recovering Indigenous Histories Along the Kwinitekw (Connecticut River)
Shea Theater Arts Center, 71 Ave. A, Turners Falls, MA
Dr. Marge Bruchac
A Talk with Dr. Margaret M. Bruchac (Nulhegan Abenaki), Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Free Event. Indigenous histories in the valley of the Kwinitekw are long and deep, tracing back to glacial times and marked by many, many generations. The Native community of Pocumtuck was sustained by local flora and fauna and supported by reciprocal trade and diplomacy with their Native neighbors. Early colonists relied heavily on Indigenous ecological knowledges – maize horticulture, maple sugaring, and seasonal fish runs. Native leaders attempted to preserve, in written deed, rights to hunt, fish, gather, and plant here in perpetuity, but colonial warfare forced them and their families to relocate. Indigenous histories can be better understood and recovered by critically analyzing colonial documents, revisiting Indigenous landscapes, and otherwise dismantling myths and stereotypes that push Native people, then and now, into the vanished past. Q & A to follow.
Sunday, March 12, 3-5 p.m.
Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr. & Nephews
Shea Theater Arts Center, 71 Ave. A, Turners Falls, MA
Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr., and his nephews, Daishuan Reddeer Garate and Miguel Wandering Turtle Garate, present an original spoken word program offering a Nipmuc Tribal perspective on place. This program will explore the common themes that connect ten-thousand-year-old traditional Indigenous social songs with modern day spoken word poetry. They will share stories about their ongoing relationships to the land, the persistence and resilience of the Northeastern tribes, differing world views, and ways they are able to maintain balance at the intersection between the traditional lifestyle and values they inherited through their ancestors and functioning respectfully in today’s complicated world.
UPCOMING EVENTS: DETAILS COMING SOON.
Saturday, May 20, Day of Remembrance: Commemorating the 347th Anniversary of the Great Falls Massacre on May 19, 1676.
Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Ave. A, Turners Falls, MA
10th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival: A Celebration of Native American Art, Music & Cultures, Saturday, August 5, 10 am – 7 pm. Sunday, August 6, 10 am to 5 PM. Unity Park, Turners Falls, MA
VENDORS INTERESTED IN THE FESTIVAL PLEASE EMAIL NOLUMBEKAPROJECT@GMAIL.COM FOR AN APPLICATION. SPACES ARE LIMITED. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
THANKS TO OUR POCUMTUCK HOMELANDS FESTIVAL 2022 SPONSORS, LISTED BELOW, THE WONDERFUL PRESENTERS AND TO ALL VOLUNTEERS AND ATTENDEES FOR MAKING THE 9TH ANNUAL POCUMTUCK HOMELANDS ANOTHER MEMORABLE AND UPLIFTING EVENT . SEE PHOTOS AT www.facebook.com. Mark your calendars for the 10th festival August 5 & 6, 2023.
Nolumbeka Project 