Fire Pit Gathering at the Indigenous Garden
Come be in relation with a Fire Pit activation in the Indigenous Garden with André StrongBearHeart Gaines Jr., Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Nipmuc Nation and Founder of No Loose Braids, joined by the No Loose Braids team and members of multiple Eastern Woodland tribes. This gathering invites audiences to engage with Eastern Woodlands culture, land practices, and living traditions, offering a firsthand perspective on how Indigenous communities sustain relationships with the land through generations of ecological knowledge rooted in the Nipmuc way of life.
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INDIGENOUS GARDEN & FIRE PIT
From the start of reimagining the Doris Duke Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow and commissioned Indigenous artists envisioned design elements of the landscape. This Indigenous Garden features local and indigenous plantings, a gathering garden with pathways shaped by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians’ “Many Trails” Symbol, and a powwow circle, reflecting Indigenous cultural values and fostering connection.
A Living Cultural Site
Watch the video to learn more about the Eastern Woodlands Homesite, created by Nipmuc citizens Andre Strongbearheart Gaines Jr. and Nazario TallHairRedDeer Garate and located in Jacob's Garden. This homesite brings the community together to highlight urgent issues of access, health, and the sustainability of cedar swamps in the Eastern Woodlands.
“Our people have kept a lot, but we’ve lost a lot as well,” says Gaines. “It’s really become our purpose, our mission, to have cultural revitalization and cultural preservation. One of those ways we do that is continuously building sites like this .... doing all these things that we did traditionally, so that these things don’t get lost.”
Accessibility
Jacob’s Pillow is committed to creating accessible spaces and experiences. Please contact [email protected] or call 413.243.9919 ext. 163 with accessibility questions or accommodation requests.