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18th Annual Rhythm & Roots Festival
Date and Time
Friday Sep 4, 2015 Sunday Sep 6, 2015
Website
Contact Information
1-888-855-6940
Description
The 18th Annual Rhythm & Roots festival is partnering with the Tomaquag Museum to bring indigenous music, stories and crafts to the festival, which will open Sept. 4 with a traditional blessing by tribal elder Dawn Dove.
Museum director Loren Spears will coordinate performances including stories, songs, dances and crafts at the festival. “I am happy to be partnering with the Rhythm & Roots Festival this year. Thawn Harris, Narragansett storyteller, will share culture through music, dance and storytelling for families to learn about the Narragansett culture. “We will be providing children’s art programs each day creating cornhusk dolls and dreamcatchers. It will be fun for all,” said Loren Spears, Director of the museum.
Rhythm & Roots producer Chuck Wentworth said the partnership is a natural fit. “For the past 34 years, we have been showcasing the music of a number of different cultures from across the world,” he said. “It is about time that we highlight the Native American culture based right here in our own backyard.”
In fact, Ninigret Park, the site of the annual Labor Day weekend Rhythm & Roots festival, is named for Sachem Ninigret of the Niantic Tribe. Today, the only federally recognized tribe in Rhode Island is the Narragansett Tribe which is comprised of Niantic and Narragansett people.
The Tomaquag Museum is located nearby, in Exeter’s historic Arcadia Village. It is Rhode Island’s only museum operated by Native people sharing their history and culture. It’s collection of more than 20,000 cultural objects tell the story of indigenous people of America and focus on the Narragansett & Niantic Peoples. The museum’s educational mission is to promote thoughtful dialogue around indigenous history, culture, arts, Mother Earth and contemporary Native issues. The museum was established more than 50 years ago by anthropologist Eva Butler with the guidance of the late Princess Red Wing and is located in the former Dovecrest Restaurant.
The Rhythm & Roots Festival takes place Sept. 4–6, with musical guests The Mavericks, Keb Mo, Lake Street Dive, Los Lobos, Sarah Potenza and many more. For more information, call 1-888-855-6940 or visit rhythmandroots.com.Tell a Friend
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