By Bill Parry
Native American culture proved to be a big draw at the Queens County Farm Museum on Little Neck Parkway in Glen Oaks over the weekend.
More than 14,000 visitors attended the 36th annual Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow Wow, the city’s oldest and largest gathering for intertribal dance.
“This is a very good powwow, one of the biggest on the East Coast every year,” dancer Jeff Stevens said. “A lot of the old-timers think there’s been a decline in interest about native American culture since the ’70s, but I think the crowds over the weekend showed that it’s making quite a comeback.”
Stevens, a professional singer and member of the Seneca Nation on upstate New York’s Allegheny Reservation, said this year’s event drew ceremonial dancers from across the country and Canada.
“They came from Minnesota, Arizona, Oklahoma, even the Seminoles are here,” he said. The Seminoles were originally a Florida tribe, but many have migrated to Oklahoma.
More than 40 Indian Nations were represented at Thunderbird. Spectators sat on bales of hay that surrounded a large circle laid out in the farm’s apple orchard. Hundreds of dancers performed in colorful traditional outfits for hours in temperatures that approached the 90s.
There was a poignant moment Sunday afternoon when the powwow paid tribute to the nation’s war veterans. During a performance of “The Veterans Song,” military families were invited to dance in the circle. A half dozen joined in.
There was plenty of food and souvenirs for sale in tents that surrounded the orchard. Arts and crafts, jewelry, ceramic pottery, walking sticks and moccasins were available. Food options included Indian tacos, elk sausage and buffalo chili.
Carol Sobolewski, a member of the Abenaki Tribe in New Hampshire, said she was doing brisk business in her souvenir stand.
“I travel around the Northeast every weekend for events like this one. Queens has been very good for us,” she said.
One stall stood apart from the others because there was a traditional headdress from the Great Plains in front and the smell of frankincense wafting from inside the tent.
“I get all of the charcoals and resins and other products from different nations around the country,” Jeremy, from Staten Island, said.
The weekend was a big success for the Queens County Farm Museum, but not because of the $10 admission fee.
“We were very happy with the turnout over the weekend because so many visitors came and saw the park for the first time,” museum Director Amy Boncardo said.
The history of the farm dates back to 1697 and it occupies New York City’s largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland. It encompasses a 47-acre parcel that is the longest continuously farmed site in the state.
“Hopefully, many of them will return for some of our other events,” Boncardo said. “Our county fair is coming up on Sept. 21. That’s always our biggest crowd of the year.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
