Featured Artists:

• Musical performances throughout the day by Leah Shenandoah,  Robert “Freightrain” Parker, Tonemah, and Genevieve Gros-Louis

• Smoke Dance Competitions

• Indigenous vendor market with more than 30 participating vendors

• Indigenous Discovery Zone 

• Elders Teachings Circles

• Interactive teachings, workshops, and dances

• Gifted by Creator: A Theatrical Journey of Interconnectedness and Responsibility featuring Genevieve Gros-Louis, a collaboration of Haudenosaunee Singers & Dancers, Tonemah, Leah Shenandoah, Jordan Smith, Arianna Smith, Violet Printup Richard, and artwork by Kyle Joedicke, (Cayuga Nation, Turtle Clan)

Smoke Dance Competitor info & prize pool

Event schedule

Indigenous Artisan Market: 3-9PM

Discovery Zone 2-8PM

• Mary Clause Tuscarora will be welcoming visitors to drop in to make Beaded Strawberry Bracelets they can take home.
• Jacqueto Face Painting
• Richard Hamell will have a large display of Wampum Belts, drop-in teachings, demonstrations and visitors can try to make a wampum bead the traditional way.  A few Trail of Treaty education audio  displays will be on hand - hand held device and ear pods are suggested
• Dr. Warren Marcus of NASA will have ongoing videos loops for visitors to watch from NASA current understanding of Earth/Sun connection relating to weather changes on earth, Native American narrated segments on the Strawberry Moon and their personal experience and stories that have been passed down to their perspective on the larger meaning of this time of year.  

3:30 - 4:30    Elders Teaching Circle 
Join us at the Native American Peace Garden as Grandmother Jackie LaBonte, Elder Allan Jamieson and Neil Patterson share Indigenous Ways of Knowing through teachings, stories and wisdom.

Smoke Dance Competitions
4PM - 4:30PM: Tiny Tots (1-5) and Youth (6-12)
5:00PM - 5:30PM - Teens (12-18)
7:30PM - 8:00PM: Adults 18+

Winners to be announced on the Mainstage at 9:20PM.

The mesmerizing and exciting Smoke Dance Competition is back this year and with the addition of the Tiny Tots division.   Smoke Dance is strictly for show; it’s a competitive dance, or a special exhibit dance often highlighting the splendid beauty and athleticism of the dancers.  It is derived from war dances.  Today singers play with the tempo - speeding it up or slowing it down to challenge the dancer's ability to keep up, stay on beat and end on the final beat.  The Smoke Dance, performed by both men and women, is a rapid quick step dance that is exceedingly fast and difficult and that requires dancers to stop on the very last note of the song making it an excellent song for dance competitions.

Mainstage Performances
3:00PM - Opening Ceremony
Welcome address by Arianna Smith (Miss Tuscarora, Elders, Allan Jamieson Sr. (Cayuga) and Neil Patterson (Tuscrora)
The opening  will follow with a special reawakening and renewal ceremony between the Six Nations and Artpark by “Polishing the Covenant Chain” with Dr. Joe Stahlman and Richard Hamell (creator of the Artpark Wampum Belt).

4:30 - 5:00PM   Leah  Shenandoah  
5:30 - 6:15PM   Tonemah 
6:30 - 7:15PM  Robert "Freightrain" Parker & Band
8:30 - 9:15PM    Gifted by Creator Performance  

'Gifted by Creator: A musical journey of Interconnectedness and Responsibility’. This captivating performance, curated and produced by Michele-Elise Burnett, guides audiences on a journey through Indigenous ways of knowing, rooted in the harmony and balance of creation and Creator's original instructions. Honoring the interconnectedness of all living beings, we pay homage to our origins, our indigenous ancestors, the land, and the natural world, while being reminded of the gifts and responsibilities we need to share for the enduring well-being of the next seven generations.  Celebrated Huron-Wendat composer Geneviève Gros-Louis will perform a special  “Gifted by Creator” score alongside Award winning Singer-songwriter Tonemah, Leah Shenandoah, Jordan Smith, and traditional dancers Arriana Smith and Violet Printup Richards.  The fusion of contemporary and traditional genres creates a rich tapestry of sound and storied-performance.  Each note, each movement, resonates with the power to stir hearts and minds, inviting the audience to embark on a profound and deeply impactful journey of interconnectedness and responsibility. 

9:20 - 9:30     Smoke Dance Competition Winners Announced