GRAY — Join Native American Tribal representatives from Maine, New England and around the country on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10 and 11, at the Maine Wildlife Park annual Pow Wow for two full days with native dancers, singers, craft vendors, singers and traditional food booths. Grand Entry is the official start to the Pow Wow. Grand Entry and music will be presented each day at noon.
The popular event is a celebration of Native American heritage and culture, offering entertainment, education and fun all weekend. There will be returning performers and vendors as well as new dancers, musicians, traders and food.
Children will get to dance with “Kennebago Bear” and “Moxie Moose” mascots. There will be many opportunities to learn about Native American history through music, dancing, storytelling, historical artifacts and replicas.
Visitors to the pow wow will have the opportunity to learn about Native American heritage and culture.
There will be several features at this year’s event. Host Drum will be the Split Feather Singers, a group of natives from all over New England. Other entertainment will include Grandmothers Tears Singers, Wolf Cry Singers, the Mashika Dancers and flute music by Paul Suncloud.
The Penobscot tribe, together with the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Abenaki Indians, were once members of the old Wabanaki Confederacy. The Abenaki and Wabanaki have the same Algonquian root, meaning “people from the east.” There are approximately 3,000 Penobscot Indians now, most of whom live in Maine.
The Attean family of the Penobscot Indians have lived on and off Indian Island, as well as in and around Old Town. Theirs is a well-respected family of renowned craftspeople, who create handmade beautiful and intricate baskets for display and work, birch-bark canoes, walking sticks, beaded jewelry and other crafts. Their expert craftsmanship can be found at the annual Native American Festival and Basket Makers Market and the Common Ground Country Fair.
The Friends of the Maine Wildlife Park Barbecue will provide plenty of food each day. Native American crafts, singing, dancing, educational and cultural information and children’s games will be ongoing.
The Pow Wow will run all day, each day, rain or shine.
The schedule is as follows:
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Vendors, entertainment, children’s games, cultural information.
Noon: Grand Entry.
2 to 5:30 p.m.: Individual performances, music, dancing, drumming and wildlife appearances.
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