28th Annual Iroquois Indian Festival

Iroquois Indian Museum Announces the 28th Annual Iroquois Indian Festival
September 5 & 6 from 10am-6pm Rain or Shine

The Iroquois Indian Museum of Howes Cave, New York, announces the 28th Annual Iroquois Indian Festival to be held on Labor Day weekend, Saturday, September 5 through Sunday, September 6. The two-day festival’s goal is to foster a greater appreciation and deeper understanding of Iroquois culture through presentations of Iroquois music and social dance, traditional stories, artwork, games and food. This year’s master of ceremonies will be Museum Educator, Mike Wahrare Tarbell, a member of the Turtle Clan from the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Nation.

The annual festival centers on the celebration of Iroquois creativity and self-expression by featuring an all Iroquois Indian Art Market open to Iroquois artists by special invitation only. Both traditional and contemporary arts are showcased.

This year we celebrate the return of Santee Smith (Mohawk, Turtle Clan). Santee is from the Six Nations Reserve, where she has gained recognition as both a performing artist (dance) and as a visual artist (pottery). She will be presenting excerpts from her two major works, “Kaha:wi” and “A Story Before Time”. Santee will be performing with Emily Law and, for the first time, with her daughter, Semiah Smith. We are very pleased to be able to welcome Santee, Emily and Semiah to this year’s Festival.

The Sky Dancers from Six Nations Reserve in Ontario will perform traditional Iroquois social dances, and may invite the public out onto the dance floor to participate, as well. The Children’s Tent will feature arts & crafts activities including beadwork and cornhusk doll making. Local wildlife rehabilitator Kelly Martin will be available to discuss wildlife conservation in our bioregion and will present a variety of wild animals including birds of prey along with a special presentation in the Museum’s outdoor amphitheater. Pamela Brown “Wolf Teacher” returns to promote understanding and awareness of wolves and the importance of their survival with a display of educational and informational materials and fundraising items. Other special features include displays and demonstrations on genealogy, archeology, and flintknapping led by talented and knowledgeable Iroquois Museum volunteers.

Food is an important part of any culture, and a full array of Native foods will be available for purchase provided by Frank and Pam Ramsey from Onondaga. Delicious traditional entrees include buffalo burgers, Indian tacos, venison sausage, roasted corn soup and frybread.

The Festival will be held at the Iroquois Indian Museum on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM each day, rain or shine. Performances will take place in the Museum’s outdoor covered amphitheater and the artists participating in the art-market will be set up in adjacent tents.

With sincere gratitude for the generous support of friends and members some of which include The New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the following local businesses: The Times Journal, Middleburgh Telephone Company, Schoharie Valley Veterinary Clinic, Kintz Plastics, Inc., HARVA, Sterling Insurance, Bank of Richmondville, and NBT Bank and others.

The Iroquois Indian Museum is located just 35 miles west of Albany New York, near the intersection of highways 7 and 145. Take exit 22 from Interstate 88 and follow the signs. There is a fee for entrance to the Festival grounds. For more information call the Museum at (518) 296-8949, or go to the Museum’s website at www.iroquoismuseum.org.



CONTACT: Erynne Ansel-McCabe, Director: T. (518) 296-8949 or fax (518) 296-8955

email: info@iroquoismuseum.org www.iroquoismuseum.org

Bears on Broad Street - Picture Gallery!

Thank you to everyone who made the Bears on Broad Street a HUGE success!

Click HERE to go to the Picture Gallery!
(Photos from the event are on sale in the SRAC Gift Shop!)

SRAC Events - September 2009

The following are the scheduled events at SRAC in September 2009!

Tuesday September 1, 2009
– 6:30 – 7:30 pm
“Louise Welles Murray – Founder of Our Local Archaeology” by Deb Twigg
At 345 Broad Street Waverly, NY

When Louise Welles Murray founded the Tioga Point Museum in Athens, PA, Archaeology as a science was not even in existence yet. Step back to a time when this incredible woman lived in a time when she was not even allowed to vote, yet layed the groundwork for archaeological preservation and research in our region.
Free admission to the exhibit hall filled with thousands of local Native American artifacts is included in the in our region included in the admission price.

Admission: Adults $5, Seniors $4 and SRAC members $3.

Monday, September 21 - 6:30 7:30 FREE Archaeology Night at SRAC - Open to the Public!
Topic & Speaker TBA At 345 Broad Street Waverly, NY

Every third Monday of the month is a free night to learn about our local archaeology at SRAC! Collectors are also invited to bring artifacts to share ! Free admission to the exhibit hall filled with thousands of local Native American artifacts is includedTopic and speaker for this month's meeting is TBA.

COMING in October!
The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) has scheduled their 6th annual Membership Meeting followed by the “Drumbeats through Time” event for October 10th from 1 – 6pm. Special programming for the FREE annual event will include the Native American dance group, Allegany River Indian Dancers!

The Allegany River Indian Dancers are a Native American dance group that showcases the traditional songs and dances of the Iroquois. Their general performances incorporate many aspects of Native American culture.

The Drumbeats event will take place at SRAC, located at 345 Broad Street Waverly, NY. Admission is free. For more information please call 607-727-3111, or email info@SRACenter.org.

TONIGHT: A Night Dedicated to the Chemung River

Monday, August 17th , 2009 - 6:30 – 7:30pm
A Night Dedicated to the Chemung River
Includes a Presentation “A River Runs Through Us” by Jim Pfiffer
ADMISSION: FREE

Director, Friends of The Chemung River Watershed, w/Artifacts Found at Sites on the Chemung River Jim Pfiffer , Director of the Friends of the Chemung River Watershed, Inc. will present the importance of the Chemung River Watershed and the need to protect and promote it and use it improve our quality of life, economy and pride in our communities. Meanwhile collectors are invited to bring artifact collections found along the Chemung River. For more information about displaying artifacts at this event, please contact Ted Keir at 570-888-2718.

The doors will open at 6pm, with the program running from 6:30 – 7:30pm at the Susquehanna River Archaeological Center, (SRAC), 345 Broad Street in Waverly, NY. Admission is free for this event. The public is advised that the SRAC gift shop and exhibit hall will also be open during this time as well and to please consider arriving early to browse these areas before the program. For more information, call 570-565-7960 or email info@sracenter.org.

BEARS on Broad Street ! August 22nd!

This coming Saturday to SRAC at 345 Broad Street Waverly, NY!

We are taking dry dog food & dog biscuits all this coming week for the bears!

Advance sale tickets can be picked up at SRAC Tuesday - Friday this week at $1 off the actual price during the event. Advance tickets are:

Adults: $7
SRAC Members:$5
Kids Under 12: $3

Show Times are Noon, 2, and 4pm!

We are taking fresh lettuce, root vegetables and tree fruit (like apples) the day of the event!

Also - We are playing a full length movie "Circus Rosaire" at 6:30pm!

Come and enjoy a wonderful day at a very low cost in downtown Waverly, NY!

Let The Buyers Beware.

According to the Durango Herald, "Blanding Artifact Raids Likely to Expand Scope to Target Buyers of Looted Antiqities."

As most of you know the FBI sting ring in Utah reported to have uncovered the largest illegal Native American artifact trafficking operation yet. These people were said to have been going on government protected and tribal land and digging up artifacts to sell on the black market and making hundreds of thousands of dollars in dirty money.

The next phase of this sting however seems to be steered towards targeting the BUYERS of illegal artifacts.

25 people have already been charged to date as a result of this FBI sting. Not surprisingly, the FBI used a well known artifact dealer to go underground and tape his customers describing how they acquired their artifacts. (Some claim to have went under the cover of darkness and other dug holes in their own back yard to allegedly claim the artifacts came from there instead of protected sacred lands.) The Durango Times states the dealer was paid $224,000 for the undercover work over 2½ years, according to search-warrant affidavits describing his work.

They go on to report that "The informant gave federal officials a rare insider's view of the illegal artifacts trade, recording a parade of suspects, as they described their methods in astonishing frankness"..and.."Authorities could not make a case this large without someone on the inside, U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman said."

Although this "informant" is obviously a creep in my opinion, I think it is a smart move by the FBI to have used him and other dealers like him that could very well be in our region to put an end to illegal artifact looting and trafficking.

But the next step is going far beyond the dealers who can make a huge bank roll just by selling out on their sellers. The Durango Times reports that the Feds are also actively pursuing the leads from these dealers to the BUYERS of these illegal artifacts.

It will be interesting how far their net reaches in the end. Stay tuned!

SRAC POTTERY SYMPOSIUM - Saturday August 15

Native American Pottery Roundup and Symposium

Saturday, August 15, 2009 from 1pm – 4pm
At SRAC, 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY
(download flier here)

SRAC’s unique ability to bring collectors and professionals together to create the region’s largest Native American exhibit for a day is back! The Native American Pottery Roundup and Symposium invites collectors , professionals and museums of the region to roundup all of the region’s Native American pottery for a one day event that includes the following educational presentations:

What Can We Learn from Pottery?
By NYSAA President, William Engelbrecht
Remains of ceramic vessels are often the most common artifact on Iroquoian village sites and are certainly the most studied in New York State. The methods used to study ceramics vary depending on the purpose of the study. This talk will discuss some of the different types of ceramic studies that have been done in New York and will suggest avenues for future research.

Dr. Engelbrecht received his Ph. D. from the University of Michigan 1971 and retired in 2003 after teaching for 30 years at Buffalo State. He received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1990. His publications
include Iroquoia: The Development of a Native World (Syracuse, 2003). He is currently president of the New York State Archaeological Association.

Pottery, Maize and Long Houses By NYS Museum Research & Collections Director, John P. Hart, PhD
In this presentation Dr. John P. Hart reviews new evidence, much of it obtained from cooking residues adhering to pottery, that demonstrates northern Iroquoians practiced agricultural systems based around three crops: maize (Indian corn), common bean, and squash that each have a separate history in central New York. Also reviewed is recent research that indicates long-term trends in pottery technology are associated with increased importance of agricultural crops in the diet.

Dr. Hart received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He regularly publishes articles on the results of his research in professional journals such as American Antiquity, Journal of Archaeological Science, and Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, among others.

COLLECTORS: Doors open at noon for secure setup. Please call Ted Keir at (570) 888-2718 to reserve space for your pottery display. Admission is free for all who share their pottery for the event!

ADMISSION: Adults - $5, SRAC Members and Students - $4, Kids under 12 - $2

Circus Rosaire - The Movie

Many of you have heard about the "Rosaire Bear Show" coming to SRAC in downtown Waverly, NY on August 22 with show times at noon, 2, and 4 pm...

Many of you might also not know that Derrick, his boys and the rest of the Rosaire family will be starring in a television show to be aired this fall that was filmed in March for the Discovery Channel.

But until now we have not really advertised the fact that we also have added the opportunity for you to see the full length movie that is currently being screened (and has won several awards) concerning the family Rosaire and the nine generations of animal rescue and training that they have together.

Here is the movie trailer for the film (below) that we have been given the approval to give a very exclusive screening to be held at SRAC on the day of the bears show. The full movie is an hour and a half long and there will be limited seating for this one time showing at 6:30 pm in the SRAC lecture hall on August 22nd. Derrick Rosaire and his sons will be on hand after the movie to answer questions and to raffle off one movie poster for this heartwarming and inspiring movie.

How can you attend this full length film screening? Stay tuned!

Click here to learn more about the movie!

SRAC's Objective #8 -
By all of the above to further the great respect for nature inclusive of all its creatures, as illustrated in the lives of those who were the original inhabitants of the Twin Tier Region. With the conviction that S.R.A.C.'s program of activity heightens the values of environmental preservation to its present occupants.

FEED THE BEARS! (and help a great cause!)

On Saturday, August 22nd the community is asked to feed the bears at SRAC in downtown Waverly, NY, literally.

SRAC will close down the street next to their Center at 345 Broad Street, Waverly, NY for a fifty foot double fenced cage to be setup for the "Rosaire's Bears Show." The show includes five live bears and their trainers who will both entertain and teach the public about these wonderful gentle giants of the wilderness. The show times are noon, 2, and 4pm, and it already looks like all three shows will be well attended, so we have made advance ticket sales available at SRAC Tuesdays Fridays from 1-5pm, and Saturdays from 11-4pm.

The event was planned after SRAC's I saw the Rosaires perform recently at the Tioga County Fair and immediately asked Derrick Rosaire if there was a week they had open during the Fair season to come to SRAC. Luckily, a date was found and the agreement was made. After talking with Derrick Rosaire, I realized how much it took for him to care for these bears that he literally saved from death. The expenses are astronomical, and I asked if SRAC could put forth an effort to try to get food for the bears...I figured it was the least we could do after asking them to change their travel plans just to come to Waverly.

As a result, SRAC is asking that the community donate dog biscuits and dry dog food at their Center for the bears, and to also bring lettuce, bread, and tree fruits such as apples etc on the day of the event. All donations will be for the Rosaire's to take with them to be used for bear food. Finding fresh root vegetables and fruit must be a very hard endeavor when you are trying to get to different fairs throughout the Northeast, and I look forward to showing the Rosaire's that our community is awesome when it comes to supporting efforts such as this!

SRAC is open to receive food donations Tuesdays through Fridays from 1-5pm and Saturdays 11-4pm. Advance tickets for the event can also be purchased during these times as well.

To learn more about the Rosaire's Bears Show, visit:
http://www.circusrosairemovie.com/MeetTheRosaires/DerrickRosaireJr/

To watch the movie trailer on the Rosaire Family's nine generations of animal recsue and training - visit:
http://www.progressiveproductions.com/_vid/CR_Trailer_4x3_112508.mov

Real Life "Grizzly Adams," Derrick Rosaire and one of his bear friends.