Museum of the American Revolution to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Weekend with performances, crafts

The Museum of the American Revolution will honor Native American history and culture with a series of events next weekend. 

Indigenous Peoples Weekend will run Saturday, Oct. 12, through Monday, Oct. 14. Each day, the museum will host traditional Native American dance performances, living history interpreters, crafts and films.

MORE: On stage in October: 'Frankenstein,' 'Jersey Boys' and 'tick, tick ... Boom!'

Each day during the weekend, a group of dancers from the Delaware Tribe of Indians will perform traditional Lenape social dances. The dances, which are free and open to the public, will take place on the museum's outdoor plaza at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the performances will move inside to the museum's lobby.

Also during the weekend, living history interpreters Kehala Smith (Tuscarora Nation, Turtle Clan) and Jordan Smith (Mohawk, Bear Clan) will be in the museum's Oneida Nation Atrium sharing stories with visitors about their culture, costuming and traditions. Visitors can check out a discovery cart, which features replica artifacts and documents linked to Tyonajanegen (Two Kettles Together), an Oneida woman who participated in the Battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War's Saratoga Campaign.

In the Oneida Nation Gallery, visitors can also explore a multimedia gallery detailing the Oneida Indian Nation’s debate over whether to break away from the Six Nations Confederacy and support the Revolutionary cause. 

On Saturday and Sunday, visitors can color a wampum belt craft. Wampum beads — purple and white beads made from seashells or glass — were woven into patterns on belts to commemorate agreements between different communities of Native Americans and Europeans. Throughout the weekend, Mary Homer and her daughter (both Oneida, Wolf Clan) will be at the museum to demonstrate, display and sell their traditional Iroquois beadwork, including clothing, jewelry and purses.

"The People of the Standing Stone" film will be shown each day at 3:30 p.m. The 25-minute film, directed by Emmy-winning director Ric Burns and narrated by Oscar-winning actor Kevin Costner, explores the contributions of one Native American people who chose to commit themselves to the Revolutionary cause when many others fought on the British side during the Revolutionary War. 

Indigenous Peoples Weekend 2024 at the Museum