Tomaquag Museum Celebrates 60th Anniversary

Tomaquag Museum, the cultural and historic museum of the Narragansett tribe, will celebrate its 60th anniversary at Trinity Rep in Providence on September 6. Aimed at native and non-native groups alike, the celebration has been designed to bring visibility to Rhode Island’s indigenous community, and will celebrate the past, present and future through a dynamic, intertribal demonstration of art, culture and song. The show will incorporate indigenous drumming, dance performances, a small artist market and Hawaiian native singer and ukulele performer, Guy Kahokulani Imoto. Intertribal dance troupe and traditional drum group, The Harris Family of cultural performers, will bring a local flavor to proceedings, while multi-Grammy nominated soul-funk-blues band, The GroovaLottos, will be coming fresh from their triumphant showing at Rhythm and Roots. The event also will honor several individuals who have made a valuable contribution to the native community. Honorees include Kenny Merrick Jr., who is being posthumously recognized through the Princess Red Wing Arts & Culture Award, with Senator Louis DiPalma receiving The Ellison “Tarzan” Brown Champion Award. Celebrated Narraganset elder and educator Eleanor Dove will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. It has been a positive few months for the Narragansett people, with the longest continually held powwow in the country hitting its 343^rd year in August. There are also positive signs for growth at the museum, with increased interest in its activities and the suggestion that more growth is to come.

The artist market opens at 6:30pm, with the main celebration beginning at 7pm. For tickets, go to tomaquagmuseum.org/60th