GRAY — The 14th annual Attean Family Pow Wow, featuring Native American tribal representatives from Maine, New England and around the country, will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11 and 12, at the Maine Wildlife Park.
There will be two full days with native dancers, singers, craft vendors, singers, traditional food booths and the Grand Entry presented each day at noon. Grand Entry is the official start to the powwow, and includes the presentation of the park’s bald eagle, unique because it’s one of only a few powwows nationwide that includes the participation of a live bald eagle.
Children will get to dance with the ‘Kennebago Bear’ and ‘Moxie Moose’ mascots, and there will be many opportunities to learn about Native American history through music, dancing, storytelling, historical artifacts and replicas.
Host Drum, a drum group primarily responsible for providing music for the dancers, will be the Split Feather Singers. They are 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 , most of whom live in Maine.
The Attean family of the Penobscot Indians have lived both on and off Indian Island, as well as in and around Old Town. Theirs is a well-respected family of renowned craftspeople, who create beautiful and intricate handmade baskets for display and work; birch-bark canoes; walking sticks; and beaded jewelry.
Their expert craftsmanship can be found at the annual Native American Festival and Basketmakers Market and the Common Ground Country Fair.
The Friends of the Maine Wildlife Park Barbecue will provide food both days. Native American crafts, singing, dancing, educational and cultural information, and children’s games will be ongoing each day.
The powwow will run each day, rain or shine.
For more information call the Maine Wildlife Park at 207-657-4977, ext. 0; or visit mainewildlifepark.com, mefishwildlife.com or Facebook.
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