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A Wonderful Celebration

A sincere thank you goes to the Friends of Hammonasset for hosting the recent Hammonassett Festival at the Guilford Fairgrounds. I found it to be a wonderful celebration of Hammonasset Park’s Native American heritage, honoring the Hammonassett Tribe, whose members once spent their days living on the land of the park.

The event proved to be a great way to introduce families to many aspects of Native American culture and traditions, beginning with a smudging ceremony where we learned the importance of respecting everyone in our community, elders to youth. I loved seeing the great variety of dancers and musicians, the talented vendors that came to sell their crafts, jewelry, and wares, and the New England Atlatl Championships.

The festival also provided a gathering of non-profit organizations in our area that work to enhance environmental education with a mission to honor our natural world. There was even a Children’s Area where participants could make Native American crafts, play games, hear Native American flute music, and listen to stories read by staff members from the Institute for American Indian Studies, and our local Guilford and Madison libraries. There truly was something for everyone!

I hope to return to the festival next year, and I encourage everyone to attend this exceptional event in the future.

Sarah H. Bradford

Madison