ili:i^^.<ii,MWi.-^,:s^t.,i,^jAjh
fe:;i/v
SSSSsas^SKSligS*
The Altamont Enterprise — Thursday, July 1,1999
M
Iroquois weekend has art, heart, and artifacts
Iff
By Peter Huston
HOWES CAVE — As the two
performance artists, man and
woman, Dutch and Iroquois,
walk along the edge of the large
cloth, they exchange items. "The
idea," said Neal Keating, the curator of the Iroquois museum, "is
to show that they not only exchange things, but they also exchange love."
It's a decidedly non-confrontational, perhaps even highly idealized, take on the often ugly,
often tragic relationship between
the indigenous peoples of New
York and the usurping immigrants who came from across the
ocean to push them aside and in
their ever-shrinking territories.
But sometimes it's possible to
celebrate the past without
focusing on the obvious
tragedies. The Iroquois, regardless of what has happened to
them, are still here and their
creativity and art are very much
alive,
On the weekend of July 3 and
4, the Iroquois Indian Museum
in Howes Cave will hold a
festival featuring Iroquois
performers,
artists,
and
craftsmen creating in a variety
of mediums.
Greg Hill, originally from Fort
Erie, is a Mohawk performance
artist. His partner, Sue-Ellen
Gerritsen, is a performance
artist of Dutch descent. They are
not just partners on stage, but
also "life partners," having been
romantically involved for years.
Their performance is focused
on a 40-foot-long piece of fabric
that reproduces th - historic Two
Row Wampum. The Two Row
Wampum was an early, landmark, diplomatic agreement between the two cultures, Iroquois
and the 17th century Dutch. The
agreement signified that both
parties would leave one another
alone and live in peace "like two
parallel rows who never contacted and never interfered with
one another."
Wampum was a traditional
medium for recording and symbolizing important agreements
among the Iroquois and other
indigenous nations. Wampum,
short for wampumpeag, are
small beads made from shells,
which Native Americans strung
together and used for currency,
jewelry, or ceremonial exchange
Jati!
There will be 25 artists of various kinds selling their works at
the art market. These Iroquois
artists include sculptors, bone
and antler carvers, painters,
bead workers, and basket
weavers.
"One thing that makes this
festival interesting," said Keating, "is that they are all Iroquois.
Its not Pan-Indian."
Russel Smith (with drum) and the Iroquois Dancers will be one of many acts performing at the
Iroquois Indian Museum July 3 and 4.
All Iroquois
Singing Society, a women's muIda May Gaskin, who knows
tual aid group that helps the medicinal plants and mid-wifery,
David Fadden, an Akwesasne
Mohawk storyteller, will share community, especially the el- will speak about her work.
Gaskin is involved in political
stories with the audience. David derly.
The society blends the func- activism to promote midwifery,
Fadden's father, Ray Fadden, is
the curator and founder of the tions of public historian and particularly in states such as
Onchiota Iroquois Museum near women's auxiliary. Its perfor- New York where it is illegal for
Saranac Lake in the Adiron- mances educate others about an unlicensed mid-wife to assist
dacks. The family has been prac- Mohawk culture and raise funds in the birth of children.
According to Keating, Gaskin
ticing storytelling for more than for their community.
50 years.
Many artists will perform to has studied the healing arts
Sylvia VanHouten, a genealogist, will be on hand
to advise and consult with visitors about techniques for
tracing Native American ancestry.
Returning performers from
previous years include Russell
Smith and the Iroquois Dancers.
This world-traveling dance
troupe sings, dances, talks, and
tells stories. Smith, a Seneca,
has been involved in Iroquois
performance since he was eight
years old.
The Sweetgrass Singers
will
tigers win
come to the festival
their thirda
in a row — from Kahnawake,
Mohawk reservation near Montreal. The Singers are members
of the Kahnawake Women's
the water drum, a small wooden
drum with a skin cover. Water
inside the drum moistens the
skin, but as the drummer
strikes it, the skin gradually
dries. The pitch changes, becoming higher with each strike.
Clarksville exhibit
.
•
•
«»
J
i n s p i r e s plUHl t e s t
NEW SCOTLAND — The
New Scotland Historical Museum has a new exhibit on
Clafksville this year.
And the historical association is
organizing a plum fest. to be held
in Clarksville on Saturday, Sept.
GERMAN /
18, as part of the celebration of
the exhibit.
AMERICAN
New Scotland is "plum(b) in
CUISINE
the center of Albany county,"
Reservations Preferred
said Marion Parmenter, presiOn Scenic Warner Lake, Rt. 157A, East Berne. Lakeside Wedding Accommodatior s, dent of the historical associationBanquet Facilities, Private Parties. We can accommodate 25-275 people.
Planned activities will include
drive-it-yourself tours, food, and
garage sales. People who would
like to be included on the map of
garage sales should call Ann
Eberle at 765 2071 or Parmenter
at 765 4652.
The beach is open
Sunday,
The museum is open each
7 days a week
week on Thursday from 10 a.m.
July 4th
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
to noon during the months of
BlgWally
July and August.
Adults: $3.00
Playing
On Sundays, the museum is
Children under 11. $2.00
open from 2 to 4 p.m. from June
.3-7
through October.
Group tours are available at
Www (518>»?2^12
other times by calling 765-2071
or 765-4446.
The museum is located in the
Wyman Osterhout Community
Center, just west of the intersection of routes 85 and 85 A in New
Salem.
Friday
^
m* ill" > ft dftMQ^wp. _
Mme Rib $9.95
Fish Special $6*95
eclectically, combining her
Native American tradition with
learning from other sources,
including time spent studying at
"the Farm," a large and well
known "hippie commune" in
Tennessee.
The Iroquois, a Native
American confederacy, was
originally made up of five
nations; the Mohawks, Oneidas,
• Onandaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.
The Tuscororas joined in 1722.
Mike Tarbell, museum employee, educator, Mohawk, and
Vietnam veteran, will be the
master of ceremonies throughout
the event.
Tarbell will also lead a walk
on the small nature trail, where
visitors can see medicinal plants
and learn how they were used by
the native peoples of New York
state.
There will be an archeology
table where visitors can have
their own archeological finds inspected and identified. "There's a
lot of that around here," said
Keating, whose interview with
The Enterprise was interrupted
by a man who found a pair of arrow points in his topsoil.
Sylvia VanHouten, a genealogist, museum volunteer, and
member of several genealogical
societies, will be on hand to advise and consult with visitors
about techniques for tracing Native American ancestry.
The museum
The museum and the museum
shop will be open throughout the
festival.
The Iroquois Indian Museum
was founded in 1981 in a small
building near the Old Stone Fort
in Schoharie. In 1992, it moved
to a new, modern site in a large
building designed to resemble an
Iroquois longhouse.
The Schoharie site was chosen
for several reasons. The founders
were from the area; it was near
(Continued on next page)
^yCionwni }s H(estaurant
Regional Italian Cuisine
Nightly Specials
Banquets
1814 WESTERN AVENUE
ALBANY, N.Y. 12203
Available
Hrs. Tues.-Sun. 4-10 p.m.
(518)456-0686
Tom Sgambellone's
ICE
Park fi% Place
V REAM
2563 Western Av®., Guilderland
coupon
Brownie
Sundae
50 toff
7/1/99 - 7/8/99
ti?uif*:M0rt,»1fit!t».12«
J*tf„ S a l t SiitiJ JMO
1 I
1
coupon
1
I All American
I Cheesecake
I
ice cream
! 404 off
J l_
offer goodjulxjthj
464-0916