Members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) gathered for the 18th annual powwow this weekend to celebrate their history and sacred Island land.

To the backdrop of music and burning sage, members danced, ate and communed with members of the Mashpee, Narragansett and Herring Pond tribes at the two-day celebration at the Aquinnah Circle.

The annual powwow commemorates the end of summer’s hustle and bustle for the Aquinnah Wampanoag people, many of whom were busy sharing their culture, history and artwork with tourists visiting the cliffs.

“I ask that we smile and laugh a lot because for some of us this has been a very difficult season,” said Jason Baird, the Aquinnah medicine man, during the grand entry opening remarks.

The two-day celebration included music, dance and food. — Jeanna Shepard

Dozens of Native artisans set-up booths to sell their pottery, jewelry and t-shirts. Onlookers watched Donald Widdiss dip his paint brush into a root beer can filled with glue to stiffen the twine he used to make a wampum bracelet. 

He sat beside his son, Heath Widdiss, who had his pottery displayed on a table. He told eyeing customers about the clay canoes and pots on display, careful to share that the colorful red, yellow and gray stripes came from clay harvested on the Aquinnah cliffs.

Jennifer Staples, who owns the Bowen’s Arrow shop with her mother, Wampanoag tribal elder Kristina Hook, displayed her pottery and jewelry. She used the clay she harvested from the Aquinnah cliffs to make necklaces, layering the different clay colors into pendants she then strings onto a silver chain. 

Attendees ate grilled salmon, rice, bison sausage, salad topped with fresh cranberries and blueberry slump. 

There were several Wampanoag children at the powwow, dressed in their colorful regalia. They danced in their moccasins and Mr. Baird said seeing them with smiles on their faces brought him much joy. 

“It’s a remarkable thing to see our young people here today celebrating because it wasn’t long ago that we weren’t allowed to,” Mr. Baird said.

Members from tribes as far away as Alaska attended the event. — Jeanna Shepard

Little Miss Wampanoag, Ivy Machado, danced wearing a purple sash over her colorful regalia. She was accompanied by Mashpee Wampanoag Powwow Princess, Ciara Hendricks. 

Ivy is 10 years-old and Mashpee and Narragansett Wampanoag. She said it was an honor to be chosen to represent Wampanoag youth and something she’d been working towards for three years.

“I want the world to know that every tribe is special and [the Wampanoag youth] dance beautifully,” Ivy said. “I want them to look up to me as Little Miss Wampanoag and I want to show them they can do anything they want if you just try, like I did.”

MaryJane Litchard, an elder of the Inupiaq tribe in Nome, Alaska, came to Aquinnah for the first time on Saturday. She sat underneath the main tent at a table, teaching passersby about baleen and whale teeth.

Ms. Litchard said she is one of few people, and one of the only women, who knows how to shave the baleen into thin stripes and weave the strands into an ashy black basket. She was invited by the Aquinnah tribe to teach members how to make baskets out of baleen. 

She said the Aquinnah tribe has baleen harvested from a juvenile right whale carcass that washed ashore in Edgartown January. 

“I don’t want [baleen weaving] to die out,” Ms. Litchard said. “I used to be one of five in Alaska to make baskets.”

People of all ages got invovled. — Jeanna Shepard

When it was time for the friendship dance, about 100 people, Native and non-Native, flocked to form a large circle around the fire. They grabbed hands and joyously marched to the steady rhythm of the Black Brook Singers’ beating drum.

“Everyone who danced that is not Native, just know that we can now claim you as dependents on our taxes,” joked Justin Beatty, the emcee for the powwow and a descendent of Ojibwe, Occoneechi Saponi and African-American heritages. 

He then told the crowd that it’s a misconception that Native people don’t have to pay taxes, and encouraged everyone to ask questions throughout the weekend to get rid of their prejudices.

“We’re not here to make you feel guilty,” Mr. Beatty said.

Chief Ryan Malonson spoke briefly during the grand entry on both days, echoing Mr. Beatty’s call to ask questions and learn about Wampanoag traditions with an open mind. 

“I’d like to thank the tribal members that came,” Mr. Malonson said. “Especially you, the visitors, who came to eat, celebrate and learn.”

More pictures.