12th Annual American Indian Festival

The 2020 American Indian Festival Goes VIRTUAL! 



The Festival takes place on November 6, 2020 at 1 pm.


Register here!

Discover the rich and diverse culture of Native American Indians at this year's festival. Join us for engaging presentations featuring guest historians, musicians, artists, and storytellers. 

Accessing the Festival Virtually
The event will be held virtually on Facebook and via the links on the Presentations table below. 

Attendees will meet 7 of our annual American Indian Festival guest presenters! During the virtual festival you will experience storytelling, hear original traditional and contemporary music, learn about the significance of powwow arena activities, see a display of Piscataway men’s and ladies regalia and other culturally important items, and learn about 10,000 year old archaeological finds in the Jug Bay region.

We encourage you to share the posts with friends so we can all take part in this meaningful and important celebration.
Four Traditional American Indian dancers at the 2010 American Indian Festival
American Indian couple wearing traditional outfits while holding a bird wing.
American Indian man wearing traditional clothing with his hand raised.

American Indian Festival Presentations

Times Event
1:00 pm Learning Powwow Etiquette with E. Keith Colston
Join us with Keith Colston to learn about general powwow etiquette and the difference between Northern and Southern Drum music and dance styles. E. Keith Colston, (Tuscarora and Lumbee)is a visual performance artist, owner of Native America’s Protectors, LLC, and a cultural consultant for Native Americans/American Indians. He is a powwow master of ceremonies, a cultural competency advisor, and a promoter of various initiatives for East Coast American Indian Heritage Month celebrations.
1:30 pm Discovering Archaeological Sites Along the Patuxent River with Stephanie Sperling
Join us as Stephanie Sperling, Senior Archaeologist, discusses some of her discoveries in the "Jug Bay Complex", including ancient camps, feasting areas, and large villages that were occupied by countless families for thousands of years. 
2:00 pm Exploring the Esteemed Turtle through Indigenous Art and Culture with Rose Powhatan
Learn why turtles are so esteemed and why turtle motifs are prominent in indigenous art, clothing, jewelry, and pottery. Meet Rose Powhatan, Co-founder and Director of the Powhatan Museum of Indigenous Arts and Culture, artist, historian, and oral tradition storyteller. Rose shares two stories that contain valuable lessons: “Sky Woman and Turtle Island” and “Flying Turtle.” 
2:30 pm GRAMMY-nominated world music artist Dawn Avery of Mohawk Descent Performs Her Work
Dawn Avery, composer, cello artist, singer, performer, educator, and Grammy-nominated world music artist of Mohawk descent (Indian name- Ieriho:kwats), will introduce and present 3 contemporary, original compositions entitled: 1. Otsiketa, 2. Flight, 3. My Heart. 
3:00 pm Rico Newman, Member of Choptico Band of Indians Elders Council
Join us virtually for a presentation on a large array of Piscataway men’s and ladies regalia and other items of cultural interest presented by Rico Newman of the Choptico Band of Indians Elders Council, current member of the Accokeek Foundation Board of Directors, former 6 year member of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs, and retired Cultural Information Specialist with the National Museum of the American Indian.
3:30 pm Learn About the Traditional Tools of Native Americans with Daniel "FireHawk" Abbott
Cultural Historian, Daniel "FireHawk" Abbott guides the modern explorer through the everyday life of the Native Americans in the mid-Atlantic coastal region of prehistoric North America. His display typically includes traditionally hand-made stone and bone tools, friction fire-making, and natural fiber cordage, and more. In this presentation, FireHawk will share a portion of these topics. 
4:00 pm Experience Legends Through a Visual and Musical Storytelling Event with Aio Sifu
Aio Sifu, of Muscogee Creek and Cherokee descent, is a composer, Native flute artist, graphic artist, recording artist, poet, and choreographer. Listen to the Lakota legend of “The First Flute” and a Papago Tribal story -“Why Butterflies are Silent” –set to her original music compositions and see if you can discern the life lessons taught in these stories.