From left, two girls hold the Hiawatha Belt. Kay Olan is pictured on the right.
Kay Olan tries a Haudenosaunee headdress on Jack Kiernan, while other participants look on.
Pictured are traditional items, including cornhusk dolls and a turtle.
Pictured is a Hiawatha belt and deer antlers.
Two upcoming presentations by speakers from the Onondaga Nation will share Haudeosaunee cultural perspectives about the environment at the Waterman Center in Apalachin on April 23 and 24.
Karenlyne Hill, Snipe Clan, will talk on Saturday, April 23, about her traditional and contemporary-style beadwork exhibited in such places as the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Ariz., and the Iroquois Art Museum in Howe Caverns, N.Y.
Hickory Edwards, Turtle Clan, will give a presentation on paddling and river journeys on Sunday, April 24. Hickory is Coordinator of the Onondaga Canoe and Kayak Club. He has made canoe trips to bring clean water from Onondaga to both the United Nations in New York City and to the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. as a message of good will.
Hickory and Karenlyne visited Owego Free Academy (OFA) last year as part of a grant program to bring Haudenosaunee culture into the schools. The artwork created by art students in response to that program is on permanent display in the side lobby of OFA near the pool. According to Susan Camin, OFA Art Teacher, the artwork is so beautiful in image and meaning that one student said it brought tears to her eyes.
Karenlyne gave a presentation at Newark Valley Elementary School in 2013, and many of the Waterman presenters are also participating this year in a similar program at Waverly High School.
Two more presentations are scheduled for August. Traditional Lacrosse Stickmaker and former Onondaga Redhawks Coach, Alfred Jacques, Onondaga Nation, Turtle Clan, will give a presentation on Saturday, Aug. 13. Flute player and carver, Dan Hill, Cayuga Nation, Heron Clan, will give a presentation on Sunday, Aug. 14.
As a member of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force, Dan will also present cultural perspectives on the environment and information about the S.H.A.R.E. Farm along Cayuga Lake where he resides as caretaker in what is his traditional homeland.
Earlier in April, Kay Olan, Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan, told traditional stories about the Great Tree of Peace, and wisdom shared with the Founding Fathers that helped shape America and the U.S. Constitution.
Karen Kucharski, a professional artist from the Owego-Apalachin area gave a presentation on the meaning of wampum and a glimpse at American-Haudenosaunee relations as related through her artwork. Karen is also creating a relief sculpture based on program themes for installation on the Waterman Center grounds, with a display of the work-in-progress on view in Waterman’s interpretive building. An art reception will be scheduled for later this summer.
The presentations are from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Waterman Center, 403 Hilton Rd., Apalachin. Presentations are free and open to the public. Visit www.watermancenter.org for details.
This project is made possible, in part, with public funds from NYSCA’s Decentralization Program, administered regionally by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.
