Harvard – A “Walk through the Woods” Sunday, Oct. 16 with Mi'smaq Don Barnaby and Leslie Tuplin will highlight this weekend's Native American Month events at Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Rd. in Harvard.
Sarting at 1 p.m., Barnaby and Tuplin will lead visitors on a walk through the woods on the Fruitlands grounds and describe how Native Americans offer prayer and ask forgiveness for taking from their sacred Mother. They will perform a pipe ceremony and use a hand drum to offer traditional ancient songs. At 3 p.m., they will perform a dance at the Wayside Visitor Center. They will also bring a powwow drum to explain how they originated and how modern powwows are run.
In addition, noted artist and educator Suzanne Hauerstein will be featured this weekend when she leads a hands-on, kid-friendly “Native American Basketry Designs” workshop Saturday, Oct. 15, from noon to 3 p.m. Inspired by the beautifully woven baskets of the Fruitlands Native American Collection, children will learn a more simplified technique using natural materials to create a woven basket of their own.
Hauerstein is on the Education Roster with the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts and has worked at the Newport Art Museum, where she has taught ceramics and multi-media classes and workshops to students of all ages and abilities for almost two decades.
All events during Native American month are free with museum admission. For more information, call Mary Delaney at 1-978-456-3924 ext. 292. Visitors to the museum trails should wear appropriate footwear and be able to negotiate uneven surfaces typical of woodland trails.
