Indigenous Culture Fair Coming To Prospect Park This Weekend

BROOKLYN, NY — Experience Indigenous food, music, dance, art, and more this weekend at Prospect Park's first-ever Indigenous culture fair.

On Dec. 7 and 8, Prospect Park will host a curated lineup of free performances and workshops, including the Red Blanket Singers, who will perform songs, dances, and drumming, Prospect Park Alliance officials said.

The festival is a joint effort between the American Indian Community House, the Eenda-Lunaapeewahkiing Collective, and the Prospect Park Alliance.

The event represents a first step in welcoming Lenape people from across the country back to Prospect Park to celebrate their culture in their homeland, Alliance officials said.

The fair was created, in part, by the Reimagine Lefferts Initiative, which is producing cultural programs and exhibits in Prospect Park that explore the "lives, resistance and resilience" of the Lenapehoking who lived in Brooklyn, as well as the African people enslaved by the Lefferts family.

The Lefferts family lived in Prospect Park in what is now known as Lefferts Historic House, a landmarked museum.

“We are honored to welcome these talented artists and artisans from across the regions to the heart of Brooklyn’s backyard, their ancestral homeland, and share their culture with our community,” Prospect Park Alliance President Morgan Monaco said.

For New Yorkers looking to do some holiday shopping, the festival will also have a shopping pop-up with Indigenous businesses — including Turtle Soul Native Arts and Gifts, Blue Turquoise Rose Trading Post, and General & Ute Grant’s Traditional Hands — selling handmade jewelry, home goods, clothing, art and more.

In addition to workshops, performances and vendors, there will also be delicious bites on offer from Sly Fox Den, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant that celebrates authentic indigenous cuisine from the northeast.

“The Indigenous people and culture of our city have played an immense role in shaping New York City," said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who contributed Council funding toward the event.

“The Council is proud to support the Indigenous culture fair with funding so that New Yorkers of all backgrounds can celebrate the rich history and culture of the Lenape people, whose homeland includes Prospect Park."

The event is free and will take place on Dec. 7-8 at the Picnic House in Prospect Park, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.