Red Earth Festival to bring American Indian art, dance to downtown Oklahoma City
John and Lorie Keel at the 2007 Red Earth Festival (The Oklahoman Archives photo)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Earthly delights
Museums add to appeal of Red Earth festival
The 23rd Annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival will offer a colorful kaleidoscope of American Indian dancing, fine arts, live entertainment, a 5K run, food and children’s activities today-Sunday June 5-7 in downtown.
But outside the festivities at the Cox Convention Center, several Oklahoma City area museums are celebrating the spirit of Red Earth.
In conjunction with the festival, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Oklahoma History Center are displaying special exhibits of American Indian art and artifacts. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum also is partnering with the festival as it exhibiting American Indian artwork from its permanent collections.
“I think that it’s just going to strengthen the reason for people to come here to Red Earth,” said Red Earth Deputy Director Eric Oesch. “If people know they can come to Red Earth but yet also … these other cool museums, it just strengthens our position as a center of Native American culture.” I think it’s going to really draw people from other places to come here.”
Michael Bendure, public relations officer at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum, said the teamwork will help “promote one of Oklahoma’s most valuable gems: its Native history and culture.” The museum just opened the exhibit “Spirit Red: Visions of Native American Artists from the Rennard Strickland Collection.”
“(We’re) coming together … to spotlight the rich Native arts that have shaped and continue to shape the fabric of Oklahoma and the United States. When we join forces on such a relevant front, all of Oklahoma, its present and its future, reaps the benefits,” he said.
The natural history museum is exhibiting “One Hundred Summers: A Kiowa Calendar Record,” a rare collection from renowned Kiowa artist Silver Horn.
“We wanted to be sure it was on exhibit during Red Earth and our busy summer season,” said museum PR officer Linda Coldwell. “It is a real treasure and we want to make it as available as possible to all people to see, especially the Native American community.”
Return to roots
In keeping with tradition, Red Earth 2009 will open with a grand parade of American Indian dancers in full regalia, princesses, drum groups and more at 10:30 this morning June 5 in downtown.
The festival will include more drum groups, expanded food choices and better integration of the Art Market and other festival areas.
“This year, we’ve kind of gone back to our roots,” said Jonna Kauger Kirschner, president of the Red Earth board of directors. “We’ve really gone back to trying to do what we’ve always done best.”
The Art Market will flow into a cafe area with more American Indian foods. The stage where musicians, storytellers and other entertainers will perform and the children’s area where youngsters can make cradleboards, tepees and other cultural crafts will form a hub in the center of the market.
“We’re excited we have some returning artists that we haven’t seen in awhile,” Oesch said. “We have some really talented artists.”
The Art Market is completely booked, with nearly 200 artists who will display and sell a variety of contemporary and traditional artwork, from beadwork and basketry to paintings and pottery.
This year’s festival will be open to any drum groups who want to play for the dance competitions, along with the two host and two invited groups.
“That adds a little bit of excitement to the dance competition, because I think we’re going to have a lot of local drums that might not normally had an opportunity to participate,” Oesch said.
Festive staycation
“I think Oklahoma’s in a unique spot in some of the economic events we’re hearing,” Kirschner said. “People are still traveling great distances to come to Red Earth. … We’ve been really overwhelmed with the participation.”
Gas prices are much lower than last summer, so Oesch hopes to see more dancers travel to Red Earth. Organizers hope to draw 900 dancers to the festival. More than 100 Indian nations, tribes and bands from across North America are expected to be represented.
“If spring break was any indication where our museum is inside Science Museum Oklahoma, it was packed,” Oesch said. “People are doing staycations … so I think that we’re going to see our attendance increase.”
More than 23,000 ticketed festival-goers attended Red Earth last year.
Going on
23rd Annual Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival
When: June 5-7 Today-Sunday.
Where: Cox Convention Center, downtown.
Three-day weekend passes: Adults, $20; senior citizens 60 and older, $15; children ages 6-17, $15; children younger than 5 admitted free.
One-day passes: Adults, $10; senior citizens 60 and older, $7.50; children ages 6-17, $7.50; children younger than 5 admitted free. Group rates available.
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.com.
Information: 427-5228 or www.redearth.org.
-BAM
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Roots? While I enjoy a good pow-wow festival, these events are entertainment for profit and have nothing to do with sacred traditions. Pow-wow dancing is based upon a plains model and dancers dance now for money. In the original teachings of tribal cultures, which is fast disappearing and endangered, these types of social events were not common. If these people would get dressed up to make sacred rites with their elders with no public viewing or cash prizes, that would have been the “roots”. I grew up with pow-wows, but these days I would only wear skins and feathers to make sacred work, and not to have a number pinned to my behind. Having said that, I am sure everyone will really enjoy this great event.