August 2–3, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Unity Park Waterfront, Turners Falls, MA
This is not a traditional pow wow but features many of the beloved pow wow features, such as music and fabulous Indigenous artisans. It is an open and welcoming inter-tribal gathering with programs and presentations that appeal to all ages and backgrounds.
It takes place at Unity Park in Turners Falls just above the dam that was once Great Falls, where for millennia the Pocumtuck people welcomed tribal members from all over the Northeast to share the bounty of the fish runs. Related programs will happen the day before, on August 1. Visit www.nolumbekaproject.org/events for updates. Free. Accessible. Donations welcome.
This year our main stage will feature the talents and wisdom of Nipmuck flute player Hawk Henries, Mohawk Elder Tom Porter, Akwesasne singer songwriter Theresa Bear Fox, Wampanoag Tribal member Annwon Weeden leading social dances, Abenaki singer-songwriter Brian Blanchette, intertribal drums Iron River Singers, and Pua Aliʻi ʻIlima o Nūioka, hula, Sunday only. Emcee Justin Beatty will weave everything together. Kitty Hendricks-Miller, among others, will have children’s activities available. There will also be ongoing History Presentations by authors David Brule, Evan Pritchard, and Mike Luoma. We expect about 40 Indigenous artisans.
Andy Wang joins Pua Aliʻi ʻIlima o Nūioka in a special Sunday performance at 1:15 PM blending Hawaiian hula and live music, sharing the cultural connections that tie Native traditions together across oceans.
