IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gita Brown, 401-456-8465, gbrown@ric.edu
Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
Providence, R.I. – New England Native American Culture Week (NENACW) will celebrate its sixth year in Providence, R.I., with several free and public events Monday-Sunday, Sept. 21- 27. Celebrated by many tribes throughout New England, NENACW focuses on the traditions of the woodland Indians and highlights the cultural distinctions between tribes east of the Mississippi River.
NENACW co-sponsors include Rhode Island College (RIC), CVS Health, Eastern Medicine Cultural LLC, Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, Inc., Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), Roger Williams National Memorial and MoonHawk Productions.
First, on Monday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m., anthropologist Elizabeth Hoover, assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies at Brown University, will present a lecture at Rhode Island College, in the Student Union Ballroom, titled “Good Seeds: Indigenizing the Local Food Movement.”
Hoover’s discussion will focus on reconnecting Native American communities with traditional indigenous foods and healthier lifestyles. She will also examine the historical development of the culture and traditions of the Pokanoket Wampanoag and the Historic Mashapaug Narragansett Tribal Nations.
A panel discussion, titled “Respecting and Honoring 400 Years of Tribal Presence and Culture,” will follow Hoover’s lecture and will be moderated by Lawrence Wilson, RIC executive director of Economic and Leadership Development and a member of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation. Panelists consist of tribal leaders who will talk about the political, social and economic impacts of King Philip’s War and other conflicts that accompanied colonization in New England. Panelists include:
- Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation Chief and Sagamore William Guy.
- Historic Mashapaug Nahaganset Tribal Nation Chief Raymond Two Hawks Watson.
- Pocasset Tribal Council Vice Chairman Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson, Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation.
- Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation elder and teacher Three Bears.
The annual Native American Arts Exhibit, hosted by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6-8:30 p.m., in the Atrium Gallery at One Capitol Hill, Providence. RIC President Nancy Carriuolo will bring welcoming remarks, and the Eastern Medicine Singers will provide Native drumming and song. The theme this year is cultural preservation. This exhibit, curated by Angel Smith of the Narragansett Tribal Nation, will include crafts, paintings, illustrations and computer-generated graphic design and animation.
On Thursday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m., a screening of a rarely seen silent film, “The Daughter of Dawn,” will take place at Rhode Island College Student Union Ballroom, 600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Providence.
Shot in 1920 in the Wichita Mountains of southwest Oklahoma and featuring an all-Native cast of more than 300 Comanche and Kiowa Indians, the film depicts Native American life and culture.
Featured in the film is lead actor White Parker, son of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker and grandson of Comanche Chief Peta Nocona and Nocona’s Caucasian wife Cynthia Ann Parker, who was originally kidnapped by the Comanche and later self-identified as Comanche. White Parker’s grandnephews, Ronald and Don Parker, will be special guests at the screening.
Written by Richard Banks, a non-Native who lived among various tribes for 25 years, the film was rediscovered and restored, with a new musical score composed by Comanche David Yeagley, in 2013.
The film was brought to the attention of the NENACW Committee at RIC last year by Roderick Fraser of the Maliseet and Mi’kMaq Tribal Nations. Fraser described the film as “a vitally important piece of work and a powerful teaching tool.” He said, “It gives an authentic depiction of the spirit and culture not only of Oklahoma Native people, but it reflects essential aspects of local life that Native Americans on both sides of the Mississippi River have in common.”
Following the screening will be a panel discussion titled “What Has Time Really Changed? Fundamental Issues Facing Native Americans.” Ronald and Don Parker will join the following panelists:
- Narragansett Tribal Nation Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas.
- National Congress of American Indians-Northeast Region Vice President Lance Gumbs, Shinnecock Tribal Nation.
- Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Nation Chairman Cedric Cromwell.
- Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler.
- Pokanoket Wampanoag Tribal Nation Chief and Sagamore William Guy.
Finally, on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the sixth annual Big Drum Powwow will be held at the Roger Williams National Memorial, 284 North Main Street, Providence. Free and open to the public, this traditional Eastern Woodland powwow will include a grand entry of dignitaries and tribal members in their regalia at noon on both days. Other powwow activities and events include Native American arts, dance, crafts and food.
In noting the significance of these weeklong celebratory events, Carriuolo said, “Rhode Island College values the rich diversity in our community, and we are very pleased to be a sponsor of the sixth annual Native American Culture Week.”
For more information, contact Lawrence Wilson at 401-456-9529 or at lwilson@ric.edu.
