IMAGE: "You tawkin' to ME?! Lisa Tolliver 'en masque' at the Shinnecock Festival" on Sep. 4, 2006. PHOTOG: T.K.A. COPYRIGHT (c) 2006 Lisa Tolliver. All Rights Reserved.
New York's weather often stays balmy well into September and 2006 was no exception. The fair weather was perfect for the Annual Shinnecock Indian Powwow in Southampton. (View Encarta.com - Shinnecock Pow Wow video.)
The three-day event - also known as the Shinnecock Summer Festival - is hosted by "The oldest self-governing Tribe of Indians in the United States." Participants include Native Americans (of every hue) who represent nations located throughout the three American continents and by visitors who hail from far and wide.
Many native Americans I met and their spouses (many of whom were of European, African and Latin descent) travelled in mobile homes. Several said they spend substantial time on the road, performing and vending handmade crafts, books, CDs and videos at similar events as far north as Canada and as far south as Mexico. Some worked other jobs too, in such fields as accounting, public relations and sports.
I'm hard-put to prioritize what I most enjoyed that day: talking with the interesting people I met, booking some for upcoming Lisa Tolliver Show broadcasts, the dancing
AFTER THE FESTIVAL: You can read about post-powwow adventures in, Labor Day 2006 in Long Island - Part II: Calverton and Grumman Memorial Park . ###
