Native Peoples Retake the Bronx – For One Day
by Bobby González
The pounding drum inspired the traditionally dressed dancers gathered in Pelham Bay Park at the annual Bronx Native American Festival. There were members of many tribes including the Seminole, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Navajo, Shinnecock, Lakota and many other Indigenous Nations. The host drum was the Silvercloud Singers, an intertribal Native American singing and dance troupe who weave the traditional with the contemporary of Native song & dance. The Siwanoy were the original inhabitants of this area of the Bronx, and their spirits might have been smiling down on the festivities celebrating the culture of the First Americans.
Tchin, a Blackfeett/Narragansett, performed a set of storytelling and music that included playing an Apache nose flute and a turtle shell rattle/shaker. He is a prize-winning metalsmith, author, flute maker and folklorist. Another performer on the program was Irka Mateo, a proud member of the Taino, the Natives of the Caribbean. Irka hails from the country today called the Dominican Republic. Her ancestors called it Kiskeya. Irka and her accompanists brought the crowd to its feet. Her heartfelt songs paid tribute to the ancient Tainos who are now a disapora that have spread up and down the Western Hemisphere.
One aim of the yearly event is to dispel stereotypes and educate the general public about the true history of Native Americans and how they live today. Overcoming many historical challenges, they are still here and a dynamic force in almost every country in North, South and Central America and the Caribbean. One of the participants was overheard saying, “It ain’t easy being Indian, but somebody’s gotta do it.” At one point all the folks in the audience were asked to come together in a circle, hold hands and begin to move clockwise while swinging their joined hands up and down.
Some of the participants were a long way from their reservation homeland. Others still lived in urban housing projects. Many lived in two worlds, the Native world and the dominant society. However, for one day, all who were present celebrated the wonderful culture of American Indians and also became much more aware of their common humanity.
Bobby Gonzalez is a multicultural lecturer, storyteller and poet. Visit his website at www.bobbygonzalez.com. He is the event coordinator and master of ceremonies for the Bronx Native American Festival at Pelham Bay Park.
The festival took place on Sunday, September 25, 2011 in partnership with New York City Parks & Recreation.