NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE
People learn about Native American culture
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Locals learned all about Native American culture on Sunday at the annual Saratoga Native American Festival.
The free, family-oriented event, held at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, featured authentic northeastern Native American - particularly Iroquois and Algonquin drumming and dance, storytelling, music, crafts, art and food.
“We have a nice mix of northeastern native dancers as well as inter-tribal dancers from different nations and our storytellers and presenters all focus on the native cultures from this region,” said organizer Joe Bruchac of the Ndakinna Education Center. Located nearby in Greenfield Center, one of the nonprofit organization’s goals is to educate people about the natural world and northeastern native culture.
With several thousand attendees each year, the Saratoga Native American Festival is Ndakinna Education Center’s largest free annual event. “It helps fulfill one of our important parts of our mission, which is to educate people about this region’s native culture.
This annual tradition started more than a decade ago, when it was held on the Saratoga Performing Arts Center grounds, then moved to the museum last year as the event grew, Bruchac explained.
As the event continues to expand, its purpose remains to same: “to educate people on our northeastern native history and culture, which continues to this day,” Bruchac said.
Nancy Dix of Saratoga Springs decided to check out the 2018 Saratoga Native American Festival because it was free and sounded interesting, she said. “I think it’s good to support the Indian nation, and the weather was good,” she continued. “I wanted to find out more about the Indian culture. I think the booklet they gave you is very informative, I was very interested in reading that. I was glad to see Indian culture is alive and well.”
Dix attended the festival once before in its early years, and was amazed with
how it’s evolved. “It’s really grown, hugely. It’s gotten really big compared to what it was,” she said. “They do a great job.”
Clifton Park resident Beatrice Christopher, a firsttimer who attended along with Dix, enjoyed her time at the Saratoga Native American Festival too. “I’m very, very impressed,” she said, while sitting and watching a performance. “I love to see them dancing.”
Throughout the year, the Ndakinna Education Center has a wide array of offering, including other Native American programs.
More information about the Ndakinna Education Center and it’s upcoming events is available online at www.ndakinnacenter.org.