The newly established Museum of Fine Tribal Art, MoFTA will host high-quality tribal art and is currently freely accessible to the public. Tribal art is the visual art and material culture of indigenous peoples, encompassing diverse forms like pottery, textiles, sculptures, painting, and masks (my favorite!). Masks are art and spiritual tools vital to continuity […]
My great, great grandmother was a Ramapough Lenape Indian and one of the only ancestors we have a picture of from that long ago, around the late 1800s. While we may only have an image to look back on, we do have this person, a woman, a piece of our history that reminds us of […]
We recently sat down with Brown/Trinity Rep’s MFA in Directing candidate Tara Moses. Although it was too late to include in our recent Indigenous Issue, the wide-ranging discussion included Moses’ thoughts on Indigenous directing and where that form can fit in modern theater. You can see an example Nov 9 and 10 at the Pell […]
Our state is home to a unique and inspiring institution, the Tomaquag Indigenous Museum in Exeter. The museum is led by executive director Lorén M. Spears, an artist and author with a background in education. Spears is an enrolled Narragansett Tribal Nation citizen. Tomaquag is the only museum in Rhode Island entirely dedicated to telling […]
“Hello? I just had a missed call from this number.” Shaena Soares calls me from her car. She just started driving for Uber. “I thought I had something to do today, let me pull over.” Soares apologizes and says her brain is scattered. “I’ve got five kids, two sets of twins and one in the […]
Immersing myself in a good story is a favorite pastime of mine. It can also be a great way to shift perspectives and see the world from someone else’s eyes. For Native American Heritage Month, I am happy to share some wonderful books by Native authors. Storytelling is and has been an important practice in […]
A stretch of sandy beach. Opaque turquoise waves illuminated by waning fall sun. A gentle cold breeze ripples through the quiet air, the quietness of no paved roads, no cars, no buildings. Young members of the Narragansett tribe roam under the blue sky, fluffy cumulus clouds and the waving leaves of orange trees their only […]