Kontiwennenhawi Performs Twice Over Weekend
Kontiwennenhawi performed twice over the weekend. First was to open a discussion that happened at the Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center while the second took place at the Meetinghouse Museum in De Kalb.
On the night of the 16th, Kontiwennenhawi traveled to the visitor’s center near Paul Smith’s College. This particular night was part of a month long traveling exhibition that tells the story of Black homesteaders granted 40 acres of land in the 1840s. A reception for the exhibit was held on August 2. A reading and discussion followed on the 7th of August and on the 16th, another discussion about the history of land that was given.
Kontiwennenhawi was invited to perform and, along with several other Akwesasronon, join in on the discussion in which the topic of ‘whose land was it to give away’ was brought up. The two-hour discussion was opened with a few songs and ended with two more.
The second performance, as mentioned, occurred at the Meetinghouse Museum in De Kalb. The Meetinghouse, which is located roughly five minutes from Gouverneur, provided great acoustics as Kontiwennenhawi sang for two hours. Kontiwennenhawi was just one of the many performers that the De Kalb Historical Society has invited to the Meetinghouse Museum in an effort to educate and share the history of the Hotinonsonni people who used to live all over what is now known as New York State.
Kontiwennenhawi also demonstrated dances including Round dance and Alligator dance, which proved to be a hit with audience members. Bear Fox also shared a few of her songs including her NAMMY winning song Rich Girl. She was also asked to sing Iron Working Hubby after a member of the audience mentioned that he worked iron and worked with a few Kanienkehaka men back in the day. Kontiwennenhawi was received well at both events.
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