Native American Presence at Turners Falls Block Party 2013

 (Look for us next to the Shea Theater!)


Setting their tents side by side, The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. and Medicine Mammals will bring a Native American presence to the Turners Falls Block Party and Heritage Festival on Saturday, August 10, from 2 – 8 p.m.

The Nolumbeka Project will be raffling a moose hide frame drum created especially for the raffle by Strong Oak, Circle Keeper of the Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle, as well as four outstanding pieces of Native American jewelry, and several other items. Funds raised from the raffle will be used toward the purchase, protection and maintenance of Native American sacred sites, such as the Wissatinnewag site in Greenfield. Profits will also be used to offset legal expenses associated with acquiring and protecting such sites, and to give support to the ongoing archive digitization project. The raffle drawing will be in November. 

Photo courtesy of Chris Sawyer-Laucanno

Medicine Mammals is a Wildlife Rehabilitation facility in Wendell. Animals are brought there either injured or orphaned and cared for by Loril MoonDream and volunteers. They also offer a variety of programs on wildlife and Native American culture. Loril, who has Apache roots, will bring handmade items to sell and orphaned or injured turtles for people to see. They will have two half-hour sessions for children, at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., to make traditional hand-made cornhusk dolls and antler tip necklaces. The cost is $2. Her singing group comprised of herself, B’N’Ducco, and T’K’Lyn, both of Iroquois and Cherokee heritage, will perform at various times throughout the event. They will sing traditional Native American as well as contemporary music.  All proceeds will benefit Medicine Mammals. For more about the organization, go to http://www.medicinemammals.org/