ONAMIA – This Sunday, Sept. 3, the shores of lake Mille Lacs will be filled with indigenous art.
“I think one of the things that we always want to make sure people know is we’re still here,” said Travis Zimmerman on Centerstage Minnesota, “American Indians are still here.”
Zimmerman is the site manager of the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, located near Onamia on Mille Lacs lake. The museum, which is run by the Minnesota Historical Society, is hosting the Native American Music & Arts Festival from 10am to 5pm.
“There’s really something for everybody as far as the arts are concerned.” stated Zimmerman. Alongside more than a dozen artists selling their work, there will also be demonstrations on everything from painting buffalo hides to turning stinging nettles into rope.
The musical guests of the festival will also showcase a wide range of styles. Local drum group Timber Trails will begin the festival with traditional drumming and pow-wow songs. They will be followed by Nett Lake rock ‘n’ roll band War Bonnet, Mille Lacs band member Max Blake who plays double flute, and headliner Corey Medina & Brothers.
Spotlighting the traditional and modern is important to Zimmerman.
“A lot of people want to keep American Indian art, they want to pigeonhole it, they want to put it in a certain category, and that it needs to have this or that in order to qualify for Indian art,” said Zimmerman, “and what I’ve always told people is Indian art is any art made by American Indians.”
Check out the full conversation above.
Centerstage Minnesota, Fridays at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. on KAXE/KBXE, is made possible by the citizens of Minnesota through the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
