Newton Will Be Site Of Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration

NEWTON, MA — Organizers have revealed details about Newton's 3rd annual Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration next month.

The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Albermarle Field, located at 250 Albemarle Rd. The free event is organized by the Indigenous Peoples Day Committee, a volunteer group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Newton residents.

In 2020, the City of Newton voted to officially change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, and the first Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration was held in 2021.

Once again this year, the event will feature speakers, performers, food, artists and artisans.

"Indigenous Peoples Day Newton's Ceremonial Celebration spotlights and celebrates the music, dance, poetry and visual art of diverse Native artists who currently live in the Northeast," organizers said in a statement.

Hiawatha J. Brown, a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island, is scheduled to serve as the emcee of the program

Among the scheduled speakers are: Isaiah Peters, speaking on behalf of MashpeeNEA, a group of Native youth who are trying to stop the force of colonization from killing their historical homelands, and Robert DeGaetano, a boxer who represents the Wampanoag tribe & Natives as a whole.

Scheduled performers include: poet Louise Bernice Halfe, also known as Sky Dancer, Pumawari Tusuy Boston, a dance troupe promoting Peruvian traditions, Eastern Suns, a Native American drum group and BOMBAntillana, a group performing Bomba, an AfroIndigenous music and dance art form created over 400 years ago in Boriken (the island now known as Puerto Rico).

There also will be presentations of artifacts and demonstrations of basket making, beading and regalia making.

Among the food vendors expected to be part of the event are: Chiqui's Kitchen, which offers handmade, Peruvian-style empanadas, SUG SUG, the only Virgin Islands bakery in the Boston metro area, and Willie's Place, a new Narragansett Native American fusion restaurant located in Wakefield, Rhode Island.

The celebration also will feature artists and artisans, the latter making hand-crafted jewelry, chocolate, wellness products, home décor items and flower creations.

More information about the event is available online.