Indigenous Peoples Weekend 2023 at the Museum

Join us at the Museum to explore Native American history, culture, and their role in the American Revolution, as part of our annual Indigenous Peoples Weekend celebration, Oct. 7-9.

Lenape Social Dances & Storytelling
Onsite | Daily, Dances at 11 a.m. & 3 p.m., Storytelling at 1:30 p.m.
Throughout the weekend, a group of dancers from the Delaware Tribe of Indians will perform traditional Lenape social dances on the Museum’s outdoor plaza for free and open to the public. In the Museum, a tribal elder will tell traditional Lenape stories (Museum admission required).
In the event of inclement weather, performances will move into the Museum's lobby.

Meet the Revolution: Kehala and Jordan Smith
Onsite (Onedia Nation Atrium) | Daily, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
As part of our Meet the Revolution series, meet living history interpreters Kehala Smith (Tuscarora Nation, Turtle Clan) and Jordan Smith (Mohawk, Bear Clan), who will share stories about their culture, costuming, and traditions and engage guests in conversation about the past, present, and future of their people. They also will demonstrate and display culturally meaningful objects and materials, including woven baskets, slippery elm bark, and wampum belts.

Oneida Beadwork
Onsite | Daily, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Mary Homer and her daughter (both Oneida, Wolf Clan) will be onsite to display and sell their traditional Iroquois beadwork, including clothing, jewelry, purses, and more. They will also be demonstrating stitching traditional Iroquois beadwork at their table.

Revolution Place: Wampum Belt Craft
Onsite (Revolution Place) | Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Wampum beads — purple and white beads made from seashells or (later) glass — were woven into patterns on belts to commemorate agreements between different communities of Native Americans and Europeans. Native American nations, such as the Oneida Nation, would design these belts to document what they discussed with others. Join a Museum educator in the Museum's family-friendly discovery center, Revolution Place, on the lower level to color your own wampum belt with your own symbols and messages.

Discovery Cart: Two Kettles Together
Onsite | Daily
Join a Museum educator at a discovery cart featuring replica artifacts and documents to learn about Tyonajanegen (Two Kettles Together), an Oneida woman who participated in the violent Battle of Oriskany during the Saratoga Campaign.

Oneida Nation Gallery
Onsite | Daily
In the Museum’s core exhibition, visitors can explore an immersive multimedia gallery about the Oneida Indian Nation’s debate over whether or not to break away from the Six Nations Confederacy to support the Revolutionary cause. Listen as recreated figures representing Oneida men and women discuss the difficult choices they faced.

Watch: The People of the Standing Stone Film
Onsite | Daily, 3:30 p.m.
The People of the Standing Stone explores the crucial but little-known history of the extraordinary contributions of one Native American people who chose to commit themselves to the Revolutionary cause when nearly all others fought on the side of the British during America’s War for Independence. The moving 25-minute film was directed by Emmy Award-winning director Ric Burns and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner.

The People Between: Native Americans in a Revolutionary Era Gallery Guide
Onsite & Online | Daily
More than 250,000 Native Americans lived east of the Mississippi River during the Revolutionary era. They formed more than 80 nations and spoke dozens of languages. The decades of political turmoil and warfare that divided Great Britain and its colonies and led to the creation of the United States profoundly affected native people. Use this gallery guide to explore their stories throughout the Museum and in our Virtual Museum Tour.