Healing Winds is excited to present the 5th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow and Spirit on the Mountain Music Festival, Saturday, August 14, and Sunday, August 15, at Gardner’s Field in Stephentown. The purpose of our pow wow is to honor and recognize the original people of this land by celebrating American Indian tradition, heritage, music, dance, community, friends and family. By participating in this pow wow we are all contributing to keeping the rich, spiritual Native American culture alive! Our theme this year is Honoring the Seventh Generation, Respect the Family – Celebrate the Children. Our pow wow is a family friendly, multi-generational, alcohol and drug free event.
Pow wows are gatherings that Native American people use as a place to meet, dance, sing, renew and strengthen their culture. There will be American Indian singers, dancers, drummers and storytellers representing various tribes, styles and categories. In addition, there will be traditional and contemporary native arts and crafts
vendors, a children’s Indian tipi village and activities, storytellers, petting zoo and a delicious variety of food vendors including buffalo chili and Mary Blackmountain’s famous Indian tacos.
Headlining the musical festival this year will be Grammy Award and 11 time Native American Music Award winning artist and Wolf Clan member of the Iroquois Confederacy, Joanne Shenandoah. She is performing both Saturday and Sunday.
Back by popular demand will be Grammy award winner flute player and singer Joseph FireCrow, exhibition dancers the Aztec Dancers, the Wolf Cry Singers, an all women’s traditional hand drum singing group and the Berkshires favorite, Jerry “Thundercloud” and Jeannie McDonald performing their world renowned Eagle Dance. A popular inter-tribal dance opportunity occurs throughout the pow wow, as members of the audience are invited and encouraged to join dancers in the pow wow arena.
Rock, Rattle & Drum’s special guest of honor and Co-MC is Golden Globe winner actress and singer Irene Bedard. Irene (Inupiat/Cree) is best known for her film roles including ‘Smoke Signals’ and ‘Lakota Woman’ and as the likeness and voice of Disney’s ‘Pocahontas’.
Native Americans feel all generations are connected and believe we must think of the effects of decisions made today on the Seventh Generation regarding such matters as preservation of the environment. To this end we are including a green and alternative energy component featuring workshops, speakers and green vendors. This is the first year we are using a solar-powered sound system provided by one of our sponsors, SunDog Solar. Jim Merkel, the author of Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth and director of the Global Living Project will offer workshops and speaking on the main stage.
On Sunday at 3pm there will be a very special blessing ceremony for children and their families, single parents included, called the Good Road Blessing for Health & Harmony. The ceremony will be conducted by a traditional Navajo Medicine man James Ettsitty Jr. We must provide our children with the knowledge and skills to permit them to surpass our own achievements and create a stronger, more united community. We must provide them greater opportunity. It was the Iroquois who taught that in every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next 7 seven generations.
Rock, Rattle & Drum is produced by Healing Winds in association with the Williams College Multicultural Center. For more information please go to healingwinds.net, call 413-443-2481 or 518-733-9227 or email humanityinconcert@earthlink.net. Ticket prices for the Pow wow and Music Festival:
Children under 10 enter free
Youth 11 to 17 – $5
Seniors – $5
Adults – $7
Camping is available for $25 a site with free parking.
Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children. – Ancient Indian Proverb.