A Living Culture
“The problem is that many people view Native Americans in the past tense,” said Cliff Matias. He is the cultural director of the Redhawk Native American Arts Council. The council sponsored the 2005 Native American Heritage Celebration just north of New York City. “This is a celebration of the living culture and artwork presented today,” Matias continued. “We're here to enlighten people and combat the stereotypes.”
New York Native Americans Showcase Their Traditions
About 10,000 people came to the event. On display were arts, crafts, and other articles of Native American culture. More than 600 artists and performers from the United States, Canada, South America, and the Caribbean attended the festival.
This wasn't the only celebration of Native American culture in the New York region. Every year at various locations throughout the state, Native Americans gather to celebrate their ancestors.
For example, singers and dancers have performed at a powwow in Putnam County for the past six years as a tribute to Daniel Nimham. Nimham was a member of the Wappinger tribe, a people who lived in present-day Putnam County. The British killed Nimham in 1778 during the Revolutionary War Battle of Kingsbridge in the Bronx.
The annual powwow features music from the Nimham Mountain Singers. The group formed in 1999. They wanted to use music to rediscover and communicate Native American beliefs and values. Since 1999, they have performed at powwows, at schools, and for private parties and ceremonies. The Nimham Mountain Singers also offer classes in Native American drumming, singing, and dancing.
Six Nations Museum
Why are so many people in New York interested in Native American culture? New York was home to many Native American tribes, including the Five Nations of the Iroquois: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. By the late 1500s, the Five Nations of the Iroquois had banded together to form an alliance. They called this alliance the League of the Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, in the Iroquois language. (A sixth nation, the Tuscarora, was added later.)
Many Haudenosaunee still live in New York and Canada. One of the best ways to learn about them is to visit the Six Nations Museum in Onchiota. The Museum houses many artifacts dating from before European settlers came to New York. Although many of the objects represent the Haudenosaunee, other Native American cultures are represented as well.
The Past Is Present
But the past is something that often lives with us today. For example, in November 2005, Native Americans from across New York commemorated the anniversary of the Canandaigua Treaty. That treaty is the longest-standing treaty between any Native American tribe and the U.S. government. It was signed in 1794 by the chiefs of the Iroquois confederacy and Timothy Pickering, the United States Commissioner to the Indians. Its purpose was to promote peace between the new United States and the Iroquois Confederacy.