Virginia Native American Festival
About
All agesCelebrate Virginia Native culture, history and living traditions at Riverbend Park. Meet members of the Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy tribes and spend the day experiencing dancing and drumming, Native food and craft vendors, storytelling, demonstrations, hands-on activities and more.Performances and Cultural ExperiencesUpper Mattaponi dancing and drumming throughout the dayTraditional storytelling and flute performance by Patrick "Littlewolf" brooks of Five Feathers ProductionsShinny demonstrations with the Powhatan Shinny LeagueMeet Samuel McGowan, a Mattaponi cultural keeper and manager of Indigenous Peoples Programming for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and explore recreations of tools and artifacts highlighting past and present Mattaponi cultureTry It, See It, Explore ItTry archerySee dugout canoe demonstrationsWatch fire-building demonstrationsJoin guided walks exploring traditional uses of local plantsMeet live animalsTake part in hands-on crafts and activitiesNative Food and ArtisansCome hungry and browse work from Native artists and makers throughout the festival.Five Feathers Productions — Native food vendorChickahominy Beaded Turtle — handmade Native American jewelryYvonne Goad, Pamunkey Tribe — painted and carved gourdsKen Custalow, Mattaponi Tribe — jewelry and flutesKara Taquka Creations — Indigenous beadwork by Kara Canaday, citizen of the Chickahominy Indian TribePowhatan Owen — pottery and decorative itemsLoudoun’s First FarmersExplore a traveling exhibit from the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum featuring pottery sherds, stone tools and projectile points used by generations of Indigenous people. The exhibit explores changing foodways and the growing use of wild and later domesticated plants.Festival ScheduleGuided Plant WalksEvery 30 minutes beginning at 10 a.m.Upper Mattaponi Drum and Dance PerformancesOngoing throughout the dayLive Animal Presentations10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.Fire-Building Demonstrations11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.Inside the Riverbend Park Visitor CenterExplore exhibits highlighting Indigenous people and history, see live animals and visit the park gift shop. Snacks and ice cream are also available.Questions? Learn more by clicking the FAQ Button jQuery(function($) { //adding a jump link to FAQs accordion $('.widget-title').attr('id', 'faqs'); }); FAQ Questions
