Druns Along the Hudson: A Native American Festival
DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON: A NATIVE AMERICAN FESTIVAL
Sunday, May 17, 2009
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Inwood Hill Park – 215th Street, Manhattan
FREE
New York, NY, April 7, 2009- The Seventh Annual DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON®: A NATIVE AMERICAN FESTIVAL will take place on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 in Upper Manhattan's Inwood Hill Park from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm, rain or shine. The event is FREE to the public and presented by Lotus Music & Dance in collaboration with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, and is sponsored in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and WABC-TV. This year's festival is also one of New York's Quadricentennial events commemorating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's historic voyage up the river that now bears his name. DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON® features Manhattan's only open air pow wow, which is a celebratory gathering of Native people. This year's pow wow will be led by Louis Mofsie and the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers with Host Drum Heyna Second Sons and will feature special guests from New Zealand The Kahurangi Maori Dance Theatre, as well as Seema Iyer Bollywood Dancers and Drummers, Peruincafolk Native Peruvian Dance & Music Project and Songhee Lee Traditional Korean Dancers and Drummers.
A multi cultural family-oriented festival, DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON® includes exhibitions of world dance and drumming traditions as well as Native American crafts and international cuisines. The festival combines a celebration of Native American heritage, culture, and art with the diversity of New York City itself. In keeping with the underlying theme of environmental appreciation and education, DRUMS ALONG THE HUDSON® will continue to feature an Environmental Tent which will include an appearance by Captain Planet, as well as lectures and demonstrations by organizations and artists dedicated to promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle.
During the day, between the hours of 1pm and 3pm, we take time to honor two individuals and or organizations for their contributions to either Humanitarian Services or the Environment. This year's honorees are Mohawk Elder & Author Tom Porter and Laura Turner Seydel, Environmentalist & Chairman of the Captain Planet Foundation. Sandra Bookman, weekend anchor for WABC-TV, will host the event.
Inwood Hill Park can be reached on the #1 train to 215th Street, the A train to 207th Street. Entrance to the park is at 215th Street and Indian Road, four blocks west of Broadway. By car it is just north of the Dyckman Street exit from the Henry Hudson Parkway. To learn more, please visit our website: www.drumsalongthehudson.org.
