August Events at National Museum of the American Indian

Native News Network Staff in Entertainment. Discussion »

WASHINGTON – If you are in the nation's capital during the month of August, don' miss the numerous events scheduled at the National Museum of the America Indian. Here is a list of August events to see:

Pamyua founding members Stephen and Karina will headline
the Indian Summer Showcase Concert

It begins with this Summers "Best in the World: Native Athletes" exhibition that features various Olympic Native athletes, Jim Thorpe, Sac & Fox/Potawatomi, to Billy Mills, Lakota, who have participated in the Olympic games during the past 100 years.

Storytelling; Saturday & Sunday, August 4 - 5.

Andea Storytelling with Julia Garcia (Quechua). 11am & 2 pm imagiNATIONS Activity Center, 3rd Level. Watch the story of Quwiwan Atujwan, The Andean Fox and the Guinea Pig, unfold in this bilingual family-friendly program. Hear the Quechua language, interact with the characters in the story, and learn a traditional Andean dance! Julia Garcia was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where Quechua was her first language. She grew up in a culture where the education of a child is the responsibility of everyone and the transmission of values, customs, rights, and rituals was the work of the entire community. She has devoted herself to teaching the richness of the Quechua language through radio programs, dance, song, and theatre. Ms. Garcia is the director of the Arlington-based Sociedad Cultural Tradiciones Bolivianas, an organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the folkloric dances of Bolivia. She is also a certified Spanish teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington.

Native Music; Wednesday, August 8.

Indian Summer Showcase Concert:

Arvel Bird 12 Noon & 5 pm Rasmuson Theater, 1st level.Arvel Bird (Southern Paiute), a violinist and flutist, is known around the world for his dramatic connection between Celtic and Native American traditions. Dubbed "Lord of the Strings" by fans and music critics, his music evokes the soul of North American history and is thoroughly entertaining, but also enlightening and humanizing. Seats are limited and on a first come, first served basis.

Native Music; Saturday, August 11.

Indian Summer Showcase Concert:

Pamyua. 12 Noon & 5 pm Outdoor Welcome Plaza. Together for more than 15 years, Pamyua (pronounced bum yo-ah) has entertained millions with their fusion of traditional Inuit music and Yup'ik dance performance. Founding members Phillip Blanchett, Stephen Blanchett and Ossie Kairaiuak are from the Yukon/Kuskokwim River Delta region in southwestern Alaska. Karina Moeller also a founding member is from Nuuk, Greenland. Pamyua interprets traditional Yup'ik, Cup'ik, Inuit, and Greenlandic chants through modern styles. Performers include Stephen and Phillip Blanchett, two brothers of Yup'ik and African American descent and the founding members of the group; Ossie Kairaiuak, a Yup'ik traditional dancer and culture bearer from Chefornak, Alaska; and Karina Moller, a Greenlandic Inuit singer. Pamyua will present an informal non-concert program at noon which will feature a chance to 'Meet the Artists' and promises to be enjoyable for the whole family.

Book signing. Friday, August 17

Bob Wheeler Book Signing and Discussion

Presentation on the Life of Jim Thorpe, World's Greatest Athlete. 2 pm Rasmuson Theater, 1st Level. The speech includes a Power Point presentation with numerous photographs and stories about Jim Thorpe from some of the more than 200 of Mr. Thorpe''s contemporaries interviewed by Mr. Wheeler as well as Mr. Wheeler's personal experiences during his 12,000 mile hitchhiking odyssey to conduct research for his "definitive" (according to the National Football League) biography, Jim Thorpe: World's Greatest Athlete. He and Dr. Ridlon describe their quest to have Jim Thorpe's Olympic gold medals and records returned. Included in the presentation are rare photographs and voice recordings of Jim Thorpe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jack Dempsey, Burt Lancaster and others.

The presentation explains the story behind why Jim Thorpe is buried in a small town in Pennsylvania that is named after him. Rob Wheeler describes what took place during the traditional Sac & Fox burial in 1953 and presents the reasons why there is a movement to return Jim Thorpe's remains to be buried on Sac & Fox Nation land in Oklahoma. Recently, he has created a website, www.JimThorpeRestInPeace.com,to facilitate this return.

posted August 2, 2012 7:40 am edt