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October 23, 2007
The Big River flows on,
but the Nch’i-Wana 2007 Native American Art Celebration nears
its close.
Nch’i-Wana is a Native
American word for Big River, now known as the Columbia River.
The exhibition is organized by Columbia Center for the Arts in
Hood River, in partnership with Skamania Lodge, in Stevenson,
Wash.
The Nch’i-Wana 2007 art
show continues at Columbia Center for the Arts through Sunday,
Oct. 28.
Another Nch’i-Wana
event, “Two Views of the Columbia River,” is profiled on page
A1.
For information about
other Nch’i-Wana 2007 events visit the Web site at
www.columbiaarts.org, or call Columbia Center for the Arts at
(541) 387-8877.
The Oct. 27-28 weekend
features traditional arts demonstrations, Native American music
and cultural presentations.
Arts demonstrations will
take place on Oct. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday,
Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Included will be demonstrations
on traditional methods of weaving baskets with native materials,
net making and drum making. Basket weavers are members of the
Yakama Nation in Washington and the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs in Oregon. Included, among others, are Valerie Calac,
Elaine Palmer, Kelly Palmer and Pat Courtney Gold.
•
A Native American
musical performance will take place at 4 p.m. on Oct. 27,
featuring Susan Blackhawk on drum and Sleeping Crow on flute.
The two are “heart beat” musicians, who play from the heart, and
create their music extemporaneously. The public is welcome to
drum along on the “Mother Drum” that Blackhawk created as a
community drum for use by others. Additional “mini” performances
will take place at various times during the weekend.
Presentations on the
culture of the Big River people will take place between 5 and
7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tony Johnson (Chinook), a traditional
carver and Chinook language expert, will speak on the history
and culture of the Chinook people. Pat Courtney Gold (Wasco), an
accomplished weaver and highly acclaimed artist, will speak on
the history and culture of the Plateau people. Notably, in
September, Pat Courtney Gold was awarded The National Heritage
Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts award, in honor of
her lifelong accomplishments in the area of traditional arts.
•
The related art show at the Columbia Center for the Arts in
Hood River continues through Sunday, Oct. 28. The show features
the art of 17 Native American artists with ancestral ties to the
Columbia River and Columbia Plateau regions. |
