Tag: Native American Heritage month

Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival at the Briscoe this Saturday

The annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival is this Saturday November 19 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Showcasing Native American heritage and its influence on the American West, the Briscoe Western Art Museum invites everyone to enjoy its free annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival, Saturday, November 19, 10a.m – 5p.m. Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities, the event is free and includes admission to the Briscoe. The festival is a perfect way to mark Native American Heritage Month and celebrates the important role Native Americans played in shaping the West. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

The free community festival features storytelling, artist demonstrations, pottery and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food, including REZR’vation Only, a food truck featuring Native American-inspired cuisine that is owned and operated by a registered member of the Navajo Nation. Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival also features workshops and lectures celebrating traditional and contemporary Native American culture. The event starts with a special blessing, followed by a ceremonial drum circle that invites everyone to join.

The annual event is named in honor of the Payaya people who were indigenous to the San Antonio area. “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as the San Antonio River. The festival has been held annually since the museum opened.

Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival highlights include:

  • An opening spiritual blessing United San Antonio Pow Wow, Inc.
  • A Pow Wow-style drum circle kicks off the day, with United San Antonio Pow Wow, Inc. and Enemy Horse Drumming demonstrating and explaining common pow wow dance styles. Another Pow Wow-style drum circle features the Great Promise Dancers in the afternoon, also demonstrating and explaining common pow wow dance styles.
  • Live music by Native American artists including flute player Tim Blueflint Ramel. An enrolled member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, a federally recognized American Indian Tribe, Blueflint has opened for and shared the stage with Grammy Award Winner Mary Youngblood and a wide variety of artists.
  • Stories from Amy Bluemel, a Chickasaw storyteller and the great-granddaughter of Eastman Kaney, an original Dawes Commission enrollee. Bluemel shares Chickasaw customs, and those of other southeastern tribes, through elaborate storytelling.
  • Ledger art with artist George Curtis Levi, showcasing how ledger art captures a moment in time. A type of art that originated amongst the Cheyenne in the late 1840s, ledger art utilized pages of repurposed record books to depict everyday life. A member of the Southern Cheyenne tribe in Oklahoma, Levi also has ties to the Arapaho and Oglala Lakota communities.
  • Pottery making with artist Jereldine Redcorn showcasing Caddo pottery, an art form she single-handedly revived. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Redcorn’s father was Caddo and her mother was Potawatomi. In 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama selected one of her pieces to decorate the Oval Office.
  • Kachina carving with Kevin Horace Quannie, a Hopi/Navajo contemporary artist. Living on the Hopi reservation, Quannie specializes in carving contemporary kachina dolls using cottonwood roots.
  • Crafts and demonstrations include making your own drum, creating a community weaving basket, paper bead necklaces, pottery making, loom weaving, wood carving and leather stamping.

Festival visitors also enjoy free admission to the Briscoe, including exhibitions highlighting the stories of the American Indian, cowboys, pioneering women and others that define the West. The museum’s fall exhibition highlights the wildlife and landscape of the West, featuring 40 of the renowned nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen’s most resonant photographs. Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild takes viewers on a journey across the West and around the globe. One of the most prolific nature photographers of our time, Mangelsen is an award-winning photographer whose images have been exhibited internationally and published in iconic mediums such as “National Geographic,” “Good Morning America,” and “60 Minutes.” The exhibition is open to the public through January 29, 2023.

Briscoe Western Art Museum celebrates Native American Heritage month

The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s Yanaguana celebration will take place November 21 and 22. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

November is Native American Heritage month and the Briscoe Western Art Museum is honoring the role that Native Americans played in shaping the American West with special events, exhibitions and family activities. The celebration spans both in-person events at the museum and activities to enjoy at home, as well as the museum’s annual Yanaguana:  Indian Arts Celebration, which will be a virtual event for everyone to enjoy November 21 – 22. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2020)

Named in honor of the Payaya people who were indigenous to the San Antonio area, “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as San Antonio River. Yanaguana: Virtual Indian Arts Celebration is free to enjoy online.

This year’s virtual event offers a glimpse into traditional and contemporary Native American culture, with musical performances and dancing, as well as storytelling and artist demonstrations. The celebration pairs with a visit to the Briscoe, where everyone can enjoy VISUAL VOICES:  Contemporary Chickasaw Art. Providing a modern view of Native American heritage from 15 contemporary Chickasaw artists, the traveling exhibition includes more than 55 artworks on display through January 18, 2021. The exhibition will be the main feature during Yanaguana, with both a virtual artists panel and the debut of the VISUAL VOICES virtual tour. Admission to VISUAL VOICES at the Briscoe is included with museum admission.

A traditional part of the Briscoe’s Yanaguana:  Indian Arts Celebration is an array of children’s activities focused on Native American heritage. With the event going virtual this year, the Briscoe invites everyone to “Bring Home the Briscoe” throughout the month of November. Part of the museum’s popular Lil Partners children’s programming, “Bring Home the Briscoe” features Western Art activities and hands-on art, letting children join in the celebration. The activity boxes are available for purchase both online and from the Museum Store.

Families who visit the Briscoe will also enjoy the family guide that accompanies VISUAL VOICES, providing a fun exploration of the exhibit, as well as Chickasaw art and culture. The guide is available for free within the VISUAL VOICES exhibition.

Yanaguana:  Indian Arts Celebration Schedule of Virtual Events

Saturday, November 21 – 10a.m. – Event Kick-Off and Blessing. Members of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation will open Yanaguana:  Indian Arts Celebration with a blessing.

11a.m. – Virtual Missions Tour. Join the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions to experience San Antonio’s Missions in a new way through a guided virtual tour by lineal descendants of Mission San José de Aguayo, Mission Concepción de la Purísima, Mission San Francisco de la Espada and Mission San Juan Capistrano. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the missions were built in the mid-18th Century by members of the Pampopa, Payaya, Sanas, Maraquitas, Pamaques, Quijanes, Tocanes and other tribes of the San Antonio area.

1p.m. – Ledger Art Workshop with George Curtis Levi. Ledger Artist George Levi leads participants through a historical and creative journey centered on ledger art—Plains-style narrative drawing.

2p.m.-  VISUAL VOICES Gallery Tour (Public Debut) – VISUAL VOICES program manager Laura Clark will lead a virtual tour of VISUAL VOICES:  Contemporary Chickasaw Art.

3p.m. – Flute Performance by Tim Blueflint Ramel. Artist, educator and performer Tim Blueflint draws his creative and musical influence from the memories and stories shared by his family and those who have graced his life. As a self-taught musician and artist, Blueflint has shared his improvisational traditional music, art and memories as a featured performer at venues throughout Indian Country and beyond.

Sunday, November 22 – 10a.m. Silversmithing Demonstration with Shane Hendren. A member of the Indian Arts & Craft Association (IACA), an organization committed to promoting the integrity of materials, Hendren shares his expertise as a silversmith.

11a.m. – Huichol Art with Karla Saenz. Karla Saenz will be demonstrating the ancient art of Huichol Art. While Huichol art is a relatively wide umbrella term, it is most commonly thought to encompass the production of beaded and string art, which is always brightly colored and features symbols, animals and designs which are centuries old and of great significance to the Wixáritari people.

Noon – Storytelling with Amy Bluemel. A gifted storyteller and educator, Amy Bluemel’s appreciation for cultural awareness came early. As the great-granddaughter of Eastman Kaney, an original Dawes Commission enrollee, Bluemel, a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation, often performs with the dance troupe Chikashsha Hithla during nationwide tours. She shares Chickasaw customs, and those of other southeastern tribes, with audiences of all ages.

1p.m. – Chickasaw Artist Board Panel Discussion. Join the Chickasaw Artist Board in a discussion about the VISUAL VOICES exhibition. Artists Joanna Underwood Blackburn, Kristen Dorsey, Margaret Roach Wheeler, Brent Greenwood, and Daniel Worcester will engage in a discussion of the show’s origins, the themes it is centered on and its significance for the Chickasaw Nation community.

2p.m. – Ty Defoe Dance Performance. Grammy-award winning performing artist and educator Ty Defoe (Oneida/Ojibwe) shares his culturally significant dance traditions through song, movement and storytelling.

The Native American Heritage “Bring Home the Briscoe” activity box includes many beautiful and diverse native groups of the West. Available for purchase through December 31, the box contains supplies to complete six different activities, plus a book and links to additional video content for added context. Activities include storytelling medallions, The Three Sisters, ledger art, mini canoe carving, basket weaving and pinch pots. The kits are ideal for children ages 6–12, making them perfect for keeping hands busy over Thanksgiving break. The kits are $20 for museum members and $25 for non-members. Available in the Museum Store, “Bring Home the Briscoe” can be ordered online with curbside pickup or shipping available.