Festivals & Regalia Project (TPE)

Through Piscataway Eyes (TPE), the 501c3 nonprofit that promotes and advances the people of the Piscataway Conoy tribe in the Chesapeake region, is seeking support in its development of the Festivals and Regalia Project. This program seeks to produce and distribute regalia and other traditional garments to members of the tribe who otherwise will not be able to participate fully in ceremonies, dances, and other time-honored festivities that serve as cultural bedrock beneath the current and future Piscataway Conoy generations. Events that require and celebrate traditional clothing include the Seed Gathering Festival each spring, the Feast of the Waters each summer, the Green Corn Festival each fall, and the Feast of the Dead come winter, but additional events are numerous throughout the year. These events are indispensable not only for the people of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, but for the general public in Southern Maryland and for visiting tourists from throughout the world. By fostering a better understanding of the history and tradition of the Tribe through contemporary and tangible approaches, the program will bolster a sense of pride and belonging within the Tribe while strengthening the Tribe’s relationship with surrounding communities that are likewise interested in the unique Piscataway Conoy traditions. The Festivals and Regalia Project is part of the larger trajectory of TPE’s vision, which aims to support traditional craftspeople within the community, administer aid and assistance to unemployed and impoverished tribal members, and regain portions of ancestral lands for communal use.

Financiado pelo capítulo Washington, DC (August 2022)