Over this past weekend people across America celebrated Juneteenth with parties, parades and family gatherings. But it was also the weekend for the Strawberry Moon festival where Native Americans across the country celebrate the annual traditions of ringing in the summer and the strawberries which is the first fruit of the season. available to harvest.
Returning to Artpark in the western New York community of Lewiston, members of the Six Nations gathered with stories, music, workshops, and of course dancing. The highlight of the event of the afternoon was the Smoke Dance competition.
The Smoke Dance is a cast paced dance that originated with the Haudenosaunee People. It has since spread across the nations as the Native Peoples have shared their cultures with others.
Divided into groups, the contestants ranging from the “tiny tots” to the adults showed off their dance moves as Jordan Smith sang and played the drum.
After the competition, the audience was invited to join the dancers for a few of the social dances used to celebrate any gathering. As Jordan says, they dance to celebrate births, weddings, and even divorces.
And the winners…
