“The Nolumbeka Project is honored and grateful to be awarded a grant from the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice. This will help pay for the 11th Annual Pocumtuck Homelands Festival: A Celebration of Native American Art, Music, and Cultures on August 3 and 4. The inter-tribal festival is a colorful, uplifting, entertaining, and educational celebration of the true history of the Northeastern tribes. We all learn from the stories shared and celebrate the persistence of the First Nations through hundreds of years of discrimination and attempted erasure.
The festival takes place near the Great Falls (now a dam) at the confluence of the Connecticut River and the Mohawk Trail. This region holds much historical, cultural, and spiritual significance to the Northeastern tribes. Every year for millennia tribes from all over the Northeast and beyond gathered at the falls part of the Pocumtuck Homelands to celebrate the bounty of the fish runs, renew friendships, find spouses, trade, and share knowledge and technology. We invite Indigenous presenters and artisans to the festival to tell their own stories in their own words to dispel the misinformation taught in schools. Many Indigenous teachings are consistent with the social and environmental justice goals of the MNF. We believe the Native American Legacy of Connection and Sustainability is crucial to the planet at this point in history. Important lessons are learned through music, art, and stories. The festival includes features like what is enjoyed at a powwow but is not traditional so many of our offerings are more inclusive and multi-cultural and modern-day. This opens communication and acceptance between the cultures. We know this because many individuals of Indigenous heritage and the public have expressed their gratitude for the openness and variety.
Thanks to the MNF and others we can offer this experience at no charge to the public. It is appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds. Attendees, including performers, artists, and visitors come back year after year renewing their ties and learning more each time. In this way, we honor the legacy of the Pocumtuck who maintained the area as neutral ground, and the many tribes who visited and celebrated here for thousands of years.” Diane
