GATHER: Conversations led by Black and Indigenous Change-Makers is a celebration of the East End’s diversity, a recognition of fault and colonization, and, most importantly, an opportunity to build and implement new understandings. Devised specifically for community leaders, service workers, teachers, and developers, this series platforms the voices and experiences of various BIPOC scholars, artists, and leaders, providing both lessons on our past histories, and strategies and examples of how to progress forward together. The series spans from Friday, July 16 – Monday, July 19.
WAMPUM: HISTORY, CRAFT, & PRACTICE
Monday, July 19, 4 – 5:30pm Guild Hall of East Hampton
Chief Harry Wallace and Tecumseh Ceaser lead an open dialogue and lecture on the understandings, teachings, and significance of Wampum. The conversation will touch on traditional practices, historical accounts and lessons, and what contemporary carvers have “learned from the shell.”
“Wampum has been used in my culture in ceremonies, regalia, trade agreements, and treaties to connect our people and remind them of their connection to the water and earth, which gives us life and food. We as eastern woodland natives treasure wampum; its beautiful colors allow us to wear it with pride and know that our ancestors have been working with it for thousands of years. My artwork allows me to connect with my ancestors by carrying on their traditions and saying to the world we are still here, and we are still connected with our genealogical ties to the land.”
Tecumseh Ceaser
This iteration of GATHER is programmed in tandem with the Guild Hall exhibition, Alexis Rockman: Shipwrecks. Proceeds from this series aid the education initiatives at Guild Hall of East Hampton, the development of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio, and the institutions and artists involved.
