A Weekend Celebrating Indigenous Music and Art

This weekend, The Arts Center at Duck Creek presents two programs focused on Indigenous communities. First up is the Mali Obomsawin Sextet, who perform on Saturday, September 23, at 5 p.m. The band features Mali Obomsawin on bass/vox, Zack O’Farril on drums, Magdalena Abrego on guitar, Allison Burik on bass clarinet alto, Noah Campbell tenor/soprano sax, and Nolan Tsang on trumpet.

Obomsawin is an award-winning bassist, songwriter and composer from Abenaki First Nation at Odanak, merging music traditions, by immersing Abenaki First Nation elements in a jazz context. Obomsawin is also a community organizer and advocate for Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and landback. Her debut album “Sweet Tooth” (Out of Your Head Records, 2022) has garnered international acclaim, named in “best of the year” lists from The Guardian, NPR and JazzTimes upon its release. Evocative and thunderous, Sweet Tooth delivers a gripping and dynamic performance, seamlessly melding chorale-like spirituals, folk melodies, and post-Albert Ayler free jazz. Obomsawin’s ensemble occupies a musical universe completely their own, bringing skronk and reverence to every stage.

“Telling Indigenous stories through the language of jazz is not a new phenomenon,” Obomsawin explains. “My people have had to innovate endlessly to get our stories heard — learning to express ourselves in French, English, Abenaki … but sometimes words fail us, and we must use sound. ‘Sweet Tooth’ is a testament to this.”

On Sunday, September 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., Duck Creek presents “Shinnecock Perspectives” featuring the Boys and Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation. In collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation, and tribe member Dyashwa Sylvester, “Shinnecock Perspectives” aims to explore the intersection between Indigenous heritage and the dynamic young Shinnecock creative community exploring what Indigenous identity means today. The ultimate aim is to create new pathways for connection and conversation between the Shinnecock Indian Nation and the wider East End community.

Concert audience members are encouraged to bring a beach chair and a picnic and enjoy the evening. Both events are free, but space and parking are limited, so arrive early. Concerts are weather dependent. If stormy, the performance will be held indoors for a limited audience, first come, first seated.

The Arts Center at Duck Creek, 127 Squaw Road, Springs, is located on a historic Indigenous space and was traditionally Montaukett ancestral territory. For more information, visit duckcreekarts.org.