On Saturday, June 11, from 2 to 4 p.m., The Arts Center at Duck Creek will present Shinnecock Perspectives, a program that will showcase traditional drumming and dance performances by the tribe’s Young Blood Singers and a group of Shinnecock youth who are practicing this tradition under the guidance of Dyashwa Sylvester, director of the Boys & Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation. The event will also include a talk by Shane Weeks, author of “Good Neighbors: A Shinnecock History From a Shinnecock Perspective.”
At the intersection of Indigenous heritage and the dynamic community of young Shinnecock creatives, Shinnecock Perspectives explores 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.
The Arts Center at Duck Creek is located on Indigenous land of Montaukett ancestral heritage. In January 2021, Shinnecock Indian Nation Tribe Member Jeremy Dennis prepared a Land Acknowledgment for Duck Creek. As an institution, Duck Creek looks forward to cultivating further opportunities for community dialogue while celebrating and learning from the Indigenous peoples of the East End.
The program is free and open to all, but registration is highly recommended at duckcreekarts.org. Rain date is June 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. The Arts Center at Duck Creek is at 127 Squaw Road in East Hampton.
Staff Writer on Jun 6, 2022