“She Carries the Nation” is this year’s theme for the fourth annual gathering of the Ancestral Arts, Education & Cultural Foundation (AAECF) for Native American History Month. The free event will take place at the Riverhead Free Library (330 Court Street, Riverhead, 631-727-3228) on Wednesday, Nov. 4 from 5-8 p.m.
The AAECF is a Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led nonprofit dedicated to cultural preservation, ancestral arts, education and community empowerment.
This year, the annual gathering brings speakers from across the region together to share the knowledge of Indigenous women.
“You will hear the resilience from one speaker to the next, through their own character and achievements,” says Sonia Gumbs-Allen, one of AAECF’s directors and a member of the Shinnecock Nation.
The event will introduce six speakers who sustain their nations’ cultures through leadership, teaching and community work. Gumbs-Allen said that Indigenous women have held leadership roles for thousands of years, even as their contributions have often been pushed aside; the gathering is a chance for those stories and voices to be heard.
The keynote speaker is Bella Noka, an international rights advocate and leader and a Narragansett Tribal elder. Other speakers include Darlene Bruce-Spencer, a clan mother of the Pokanoket Tribe and a singer-songwriter, author and herbalist whose tribal connections include communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts; Mary Rose Morigeau, a tribal administrator and environmental advocate from Montana’s Bitterroot Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Taylor Dumpson, Esq., a Narragansett descendant and attorney, author and anti-hate advocate; Josephine Smith, a Shinnecock elder and educator who shares stories and cultural traditions with young people and Nilda Mencia, a representative of and advocate for the Taíno people, the Indigenous inhabitants of modern-day Jamaica, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Gumbs-Allen says the event aims to highlight cultural knowledge and education about Indigenous history, land and rights, especially for younger generations. The speakers’ diverse backgrounds reflect the many cultures represented among the group’s members.
This year’s gathering will also mark a change in the organization’s name. Founded in 1996 as the African American, Education & Cultural Foundation, the organization officially rebranded to the new name to acknowledge its cultural ancestors. “We’re [much more] diverse now; the organization is over thirty years old,” says Gumbs-Allen. She says that the change will allow the organization to reach people from more varied backgrounds.
For Gumbs-Allen, the event carries a personal sense of reunion. Some participants have known one another since childhood, dancing together at each other’s powwows. “And now we’re elders,” she says, gathering to share what they have learned.
The event will include Marchantas del Caribe, a group of women drummers performing traditional music; samples of traditional Indian tacos made with fry bread, black beans and toppings; tribal vendors featuring native crafts, jewelry, books and resources; cultural exhibits and a closing moment with everyone joining together onstage.
Last year’s program at the Riverhead Free Library drew a full house. Gumbs-Allen said she is looking forward to another gathering centered on learning, connection and the strength of women who carry their cultures forward.
The event is free and open to the public; to register for the virtual link click here.
