Travel the World all in One Place, Find the Perfect Gift and Meaningful Connections

During this Winter Solstice and holiday season there is much to be grateful for. It is a reminder for us to give thanks and to stay bonded to a bountiful land and ocean from which we derive sustenance and gain meaningful connections. It is also a time for us to support the people and things which share the enduring values of giving, reciprocity and the common dreams for our future.

There is a uniquely beautiful holiday market that has been a tradition for the past 50 years. The market helps support Indigenous livelihoods, cultural sustainability, and personal connections that transverse culture and country. These markets offer a unique opportunity for the public to meet Indigenous artists from around the world and to learn about different ways of seeing and being in this world. The event is called the Cultural Survival Bazaar, an Indigenous Holiday Art Market.

Imagine traveling to over 20 countries, spanning 6 continents, and visiting the region's local markets to enjoy immersing yourself in other cultures and traditions. At the Cultural Survival Bazaars you can meet and learn from many of the artisans who represent their time-honored craft-making at their local markets all in one place. Honor Indigenous talent and traditions by purchasing handmade, culturally relevant art from all over the world. Make an Indigenous craft, listen to live world music from these distant locations, participate in dance, delight in the flavors of cultural foods and celebrate the holiday season with family and friends by making a difference in the world.

In a world of A.I., automation, and machines, feel the difference the human touch can make. Find unique gifts, items with meaning and a story that can be shared with friends and family. Shop fair trade gifts ranging from jewelry, clothing, accessories, housewares, paintings, sculptures, blown glass, and much more made by and from Indigenous artists and cooperatives. This holiday season, shop Indigenous!

The Cultural Survival Bazaars will feature 50 artists and community representatives, a few of whom include: Wampum maker Robert DeGaetano (Mashpee Wampanoag) from the USA, Textile weaver Marilu Fernandez (Quechua) from Peru, and nomadic artist Saoudata Walet Aboubacrine (Kel Tamashek) from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Mochila weaver and community representative, Dunen Kaneybia Muela Izquierdo (Arhuaco) of Colombia will represent Atyberechy to showcase Arhuaco backpacks woven by Indigenous women from the Colombian mountains. The project not only preserves Arhuaco culture but also educates girls from an early age in these practices. Using sheep wool, the process involves shearing, washing, spinning, and weaving the wool with capotera needles. This art form contributes significantly to the economic livelihood of Indigenous women and the preservation of their culture. The Associação Indígena Pykore (A. I. Pykore) is an Indigenous led organization working on the preservation of Kayapó culture, territory, and autonomy in the Brazilian Amazon. They will be represented by community leader Pat I and artisan Dhayany Gomes Rios da Silva. They will feature Kayapó beaded and woven jewelry.

Featured performers include Yarina (Kichwa) is an internationally renowned musical group of eleven Cachimuel brothers and sisters from Ecuador. Their music is Kichwa Otavalo fusion and promotes the revitalization of Kichwa traditions through language, music, arts, and crafts. Samuel Nalangira is a world-renowned Ugandan folk musician blending traditional Ugandan folk music with contemporary world sounds. Dr. Lyla June Johnston (aka Lyla June) is an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) will perform her inspirational multi-genre music centered around Indigenous philosophy, healing and environmental stewardship. Tia Roberts (Narragansett) is a highly acclaimed Fancy Dancer who has danced her way across the globe in a sharing her heart, culture and Indigenous pride with Native Pride Productions. Marie Dion, author of Journey of a Red Soul and Returning What’s Sacred, she will share her poetry and story of her Northeast Woodlands culture and traditions. Storyteller Thawn Sherenté Harris, a citizen of the Narragansett Tribe, will share his people’s rich traditions with the wider community through oral history, traditional song, and dance. Visit the Bazaar website for each event’s performance schedule.

When purchasing arts and crafts directly from Indigenous artists and cooperatives, shoppers support millennia-old traditions and the lifeways of Indigenous communities worldwide. Cultural Survival Bazaars generate nearly $500,000 annually for Indigenous artists, performers, and projects that benefit Indigenous communities worldwide.

The annual Bazaars are a program of International NGO Cultural Survival. Cultural Survival advocates for Indigenous Peoples' rights and supports Indigenous communities’ self-determination, cultures, and political resilience, since 1972 (www.cs.org).

Cultural Survival Bazaar

A Winter Solstice Indigenous Art Holiday Market

December 13-14, 2025
The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts
539 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02116

December 20-21, 2025
WaterFire Arts Center
475 Valley St.
Providence, RI 02908

Hours
Saturday, 10 am - 9 pm
Sunday, 10 am - 6 pm

Tickets
$10 Suggested Admission* (or pay what you can)
*Bring a friend on day 2 (with your day 1 ticket) and BOTH get in for free!
*Children under the age of 18 are free.

Visit Event Website:
https://www.bazaar.culturalsurvival.org/

Promotional Video: https://vimeo.com/1056011493?fl=pl&fe=sh

From the Artists
“The outlets for Indigenous artists are very limited where I am in the western part of the United States. Doing this event and being able to share my work with Cultural Survival is another outlet for Indigenous Peoples to show their work and explain their culture to people. It’s the connection that shows people that this is what we do and how we live, and this is the beauty we create. And that’s something that I love about it,” says Phibert Begay (Diné/Navajo), silversmith.

“Every colorful stitch is an act of resistance, a bridge to a connection between ourselves and nature. In our weaving, we prove that the pueblos have not disintegrated. We are integral. We are medicine, dance, culture, the defenders of life, of land, of water. We are merchants. We are everything. We sing. That is what our grandparents taught us and what we seek to pass to our children. All of that comes through in my weaving, the earrings, and bracelets I make. I do this with a community of women with care, love, and sometimes sadness,” says Maria Violet Medina Quisque (Nasa), textile weaver from Colombia.