First Peoples Festival In Doylestown This Weekend

Doylestown PA

10 June, 2022

1:09 PM

Description

DOYLESTOWN, PA - A First Peoples Festival is coming to Bucks County on Saturday, June 11. Sponsored by Bucks County-based Arrows 4 American Indians, the rain or shine festival will be held from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Pebble Hill Church, 320 Edison-Furlong Road in Doylestown. "This is going to be a great family event that will celebrate the First Peoples," said Ruthanne Tickel-Logan, a founder and board member of Arrows 4 Native Americans. "It's going to be a fun and educational day. We encourage everyone to stop by and enjoy the events we have planned." Chief Gentlemoon Chuck DeMond is scheduled to open the event with remarks about the First Peoples and the Lenni-Lenape who called Southeast Pennsylvania and Central and Southern New Jersey home. An afternoon filled with activities will follow, including crafts and fun for the kids, Native American storytellers and presenters, vendors, raffles, food and a collection drive of new socks and shoes for the Lakota of South Dakota. Music throughout the afternoon will be provided by the award-winning Brothers Sun Band (formerly the Jim Beer Family Band). And the host drum group will be the Itchy Dog Singers. Highlighting the festival will be a "Round" Dance, in which everyone is invited to take part, said Tickel-Logan. The earliest instances of round dances included honoring ancestors with tobacco and Sweetgrass smoke, offerings to the deceased, sacred artifacts, and even ghost regalia. These earliest iterations were much more steeped in spirituality and meaning than they are today. The more modern variations are intended as upbeat events that encourage people to join in and become part of the circle that signifies everyone being equal and together as an important part of the group. Although symbolic in a way that most Native American dances or ceremonies are, they are not extremely deep with meaning or purpose. In many cases, they are simply a way to let everyone have a good time and be a part of the native experience. The event is being organized by Arrows 4 American Indians, a nonprofit organization based in Lower Makefield dedicated to protecting, preserving, promoting and providing for First Peoples in the United States. Its mission is to protect by supporting interrelated Native rights issues; preserve by assisting in the transmission and preservation of Native culture; promote Native people by supporting efforts that promote high quality education, overall health, wellness and healing, leadership and business development, employment opportunities and community building; and through the education of non-natives on the topics of the history, culture, traditions and present-day challenges of First Peoples in the U.S. and providing for basic needs.