School may be out, but the Quad at the University of Rhode Island was filled Saturday, June 10, with visitors of all ages for the annual Strawberry Thanksgiving presented by the Tomaquag Museum. The event highlights the music, dance, skills, arts, and food of the region’s original residents.
Storyteller/Dance instructor Thawn Harris, a member of the Narragansett Tribe, had the crowd’s complete attention as he told the story of the Mosquito Dance and taught a brave group of participants how it was done. Upon completion, he got one final laugh by telling everyone, “That’s what we call, Indigenous aerobics.”
Silvermoon Mars Larose, Assistant Director at Tomaquag, was up next and gave a presentation on Indigenous basketry. While it probably falls most closely into the textile category, like weaving and knitting, for some reason, it conjured images of algebra and this writer’s mind began to sweat.
Then it was time to start investigating the vendors; Willie’s Place in Peace Dale had a steady line the whole time. His unique fusion of Native American, Caribbean, and Portuguese flavors has seen his business expand from the shack in Wakefield to a larger space he now uses. There were also a host of different artisans selling beaded work, hand-drawn artwork, and jewelry creations.
At that point, I finally got to sit down with Dawn Spears, Director of the Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance, and an artist who has shown work at RISD, Brown, and the Autry Museum in Glendale, CA, for a wide-ranging discussion. The town of Charlestown had awarded her the commission to paint a mural on a utility shed in Ninigret Park and she told me she was finished with one side and was hoping to complete the project before the July 4 holiday.
Charlestown Town Council President Deb Carney notes, “Dawn is a wonderful and talented artist. Her mural is the perfect blend of the past and the present. Her work is a beautiful addition to Ninigret Park.”
Her art isn’t constrained to just painting, though; she also works with textiles, had a basket soaking, and sold a small purse painted with strawberries while I was with her. It was also fun to see she wasn’t above bartering her wares for time working on her Ashaway farm. She also had footwear, t-shirts, and dungaree jackets customized with her unique Indigenous artwork, and she was wearing an appropriate pair of strawberry earrings stamped out of metal. She also told me about her previous showings of her work at Brown and RISD, as well as at other museums far and wide.
We also spoke on other issues, first and most obvious, the topic on most people’s lips, another Indigenous artist, Chef Sherry Pocknett, a Mashpee Wampanoag member fresh off winning a James Beard Award. Dawn rightly pointed out that Indigenous people have a right to be proud. She also spoke about much her art portrays women and tries to show them leading. During that conversation about pride and leadership, Dawn made the thoughtful comment, “It’s sad that in our airport, there’s no Indigenous representation.”
We were also joined by Silvermoon Larose, who added her praise of Dawn being chosen for the mural at Ninigret Park. The Tomaquag official pointed out that the upcoming Narragansett Tribe Pow-Wow is the longest-running event of its kind in the nation and is open to all.
For more information about the Tomaquag Museum or any upcoming events, you can visit: https://www.tomaquagmuseum.org/
To view some of Dawn Spears’ designs and artwork visit: https://dmspears.artspan.com/index.php