TURNERS FALLS — Organizers of the Pocumtuck Homelands Festival celebrated a decade of bringing people together to learn about Native American culture and history over the weekend.
The 10th annual festival, put on by the Nolumbeka Project with help from RiverCulture, reprises the 12,000-plus-year tradition of Indigenous peoples from all over the Northeastern United States gathering at the site, according to event coordinator Diane Dix. Organizers continued this tradition by fostering a feeling of togetherness to help people heal from a history of violence and tension between tribal and non-tribal peoples that impeded such congregations.
Not only is the site of the festival significant as a historical gathering place for Indigenous tribes, but it is also held across the river from the site of the Great Falls Massacre of May 19, 1676. The incident is considered to be the turning point of King Philip’s War, when 300 women, children and elders were killed during an attack by Capt. William Turner and colonial militiamen.
Today, the Pocumtuck Homelands Festival brings together a lineup of historians, storytellers and musicians, as well as more than 30 vendors and artisans selling a variety of goods relating to Native American culture.
“Usually, I have to travel many hours to be with the Native community, and I’m seeing a lot of friends and acquaintances here,” said Jennifer Lee, who sits on the Nolumbeka Project’s board of directors. “There’s a lot of love and camaraderie. A lot of these people … wherever we are is my home.”
Lee said the guest speakers drew the most interest of any facet of the festival. She highlighted Mohawk elder and spiritual leader Tom Porter as particularly captivating.
“Tom Porter is a gem,” she said. “He’s really from tradition and cultural knowledge, and he’s so welcoming to everybody.”
Evan Pritchard, founder of the national Center for…
