I had the opportunity to serve as the organizer for the Saratoga Native American Festival for its first two years in operation (2006 and 2007) while working as the Education Director for the Ndakinna Education Center (I served on their board from 2017-2024 as well). For the 2019 Saratoga Native American Festival, one of my responsibilities was editing the new 32-page Education Guide.
From the Introduction
This Festival was designed around the idea that developing an understanding of the history, cultural traditions, and continued active presence of the Native American people of the Northeast is important.
The vendors, demonstrators, artists, dancers, and performers participating in this year’s Festival are here because of the commitment they show to the cultural traditions of the Nations to which they belong.
Table of Contents
- Festival and PowWow Etiquette
- Dances & Gatherings
- Algonquian & Iroquoian Languages
- History & Customs, Traditional Clothing
- Traditional Instruments
- Native Oral Traditions
- About the Mohicans
- About the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
- About the Abenaki
- Saratoga’s Native Histories
- Other Native Peoples in Saratoga County
- Names for Saratoga and the Springs
- Native Artisans and the Saratoga Indian Camps
- The Springs of Congress Park