Saturday, August 1 & Sunday, August 2
10 am – 5 pm
Unity Park Waterfront, Turners Falls, MA
This year, 2026, the festival will include memorable, inspiring presentations by:
- Beloved Mohawk Elder Tom Porter
- Beautiful mesmerizing flute music by Nipmuck flute maker Hawk Henries
- Aquinnah Wampanoag singer songwriter Thea Hopkins
- Nipmuc culture bearer Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, who will share Eastern woodlands skills demonstrations and lead social dances on Sunday only which all are invited to participate in
- Abenaki story tellers and musicians Joseph and Jesse Bruchac (Saturday only)
- Penobscot Rez Dog Singers
- Justin Beatty will emcee
- The History Tent will feature talks by Marge Bruchac, “Recovering Histories of Native Presence”; members of the Native Land Conservancy; and Evan Pritchard, “Lost Cosmologies of the Algonquin People”
- David Brule will share brief local historical insights derived from his popular ‘King Philip’s War in Your Backyard” presentations at intervals between presentations.
- Scott Strong Hawk Foster, Nipmuc photographer whose exhibit is on display within walking distance down the bike path at the Great Falls Discovery Center, will be present for conversations at his booth both days.
There will be children’s activities including corn husk doll making with Mashpee-Wampanoag Kitty Hendricks-Miller, Indian Education Coordinator for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and fish printing with FirstLight/DCR. We host about 40 outstanding Indigenous artists and authors in a colorful and diverse marketplace that extends the full length of the riverside bike path on both sides. It is a wonderful, uplifting, multi-generational, accessible and free event people look forward to every year. We hope to see you there. DONATIONS APPRECIATED! Parking map.
VENDORS/ARTISTS/AUTHORS
- Willow Green.
- Liz Charlebois
- Evan Pritchard
- Rudy Lazaro and Pete Yazzie
- No Loose Braids
- Andrea Hunter
- Michael Descoteau
- Wes Pecor
- Linda Sheehan Longtoe
- Thea Hopkins
- Hawk Henries
- Tom Porter’s family member
- Tom Porter
- Rebecca Yamberla
- Marlene Lopez
- Amalia Four Hawks
- Sito Araica
- Jaynie Clark
- Eddie Cuevas, Taino Trinkets
- Mona Antonuzzo
- Marcelo Chachiguango
- Joyce Vincent
- Ron Welburn
- Vincent Cruz
- Stephanie Waterman
- Christina Gwalsaqui.
- Marge Bruchac,
- Joe Bruchac, Jesse Bruchac, Saturday only
- Deborah Spears Moorehead
- Jeanette McCauley
- Roxanne Jackson
- Liz Santana Kiser
- Danni Walley
- Jacob Ortega
- Scott Strong Hawk Foster
- Rez Dogs
- Jack Kuehl
- Brianna Tobey
- Lisa Littlewolf
- COMMUNITY TENTS INCLUDING NOLUMBEKA PROJECT MAIN TENT- RAFFLE OF ITEMS DONATED BY FESTIVAL ARTISTS AND AUTHORS; TEE=SHIRTS AND OTHER ITEMS FOR SALE; DISPLAY FROM WISSATINNEWAG GARDENS, ACTUAL MISHOON (DUGOUT CANOE) ON DISPLAY NEAR TENT; INFORMATION ABOUT THE ONGOING INDIGENOUS DESIGNED MONUMENT CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
- CORN HUSK DOLL MAKING
- STORY WALK 1 “MOBAS AND THE MAGIC FLUTE”
- STORY WALK 2 “BOWWOW POWWOW” (SHORT WALK ON BIKE PATH TO GREAT FALLS DISCOVERY CENTER)
- FISH PRINTING FirstLight/DCR
- WESTERN MASS RIGHTS OF NATURE (PLUS CONNECTICUT RIVER CONSERVANCY SUNDAY)
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ART DISPLAY
- INDIGENOUS MONUMENT CAMPAIIGN
- COMMUNITY LAND AND WATER COALITION
- NPS BATTLEFIELD STUDY OF TURNERS FALLS MASSACRE REPORT
- NEW HISTORICAL SIGNAGE CREATED BY NPS BATTLEFIELD STUDY GROUP
- BUILDING BRIDGES MURAL
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Please contact us at nolumbekaproject@gmail.com
For more information, follow us at facebook.com/nolumbekaproject
Videos from the 2025 Pocumtuck Homelands Festival
Thank you to Montague Community TV for the beautiful recordings of these memorable presentations where indigenous people share their own stories in many inspiring, informative, meaningful, powerful, creative ways. (Please note: our emcee is Justin Beatty, not James.)