It's that time of year again, to gather with friends and family and share what there is to be thankful for in life. For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a national staple in the holiday season, but for Indigenous people it's a bit of a different story.聽
For some, it's a time of mourning. For others, it's a day of resistance from further colonial narratives and myths about their cultures or of healing, teaching and strengthening the connections they already have and building new ones. And what better way to build those bonds than to share culture and traditions with someone new.
It has become a tradition of the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) to host an Indigenous performance on the weekend after Thanksgiving to highlight the Indigenous people and cultures. This year, MNA has invited the group Indigenous Enterprise to perform on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Indigenous Enterprise is a Native American collective founded in 2015 by Champion Fancy Dancer Kenneth Shirley to promote, preserve and share Indigenous cultures through film, fashion and dance.
The group has reached critical acclaim from publications like Vogue Magazine and the New York Times. Nationally, they appeared at the Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden and performed at the 2023 Super Bowl. They've also reached the international stage and performed at venues like the Sydney Opera House.
鈥淚t's going well from where we started,鈥� said Shirley. 鈥淲e wanted a way to share and promote our culture, and it's been great. It's been great traveling. There鈥檚 been amazing reception to the places we鈥檝e been. It was shocking for some people because they didn鈥檛 know we still exist. We just kind of wanted to showcase our culture and bring that out to the world.鈥澛�
Other members of the group that will be joining for the performance at MNA will be two-time World Champion Hoop Dancer Scott Sinquah, Eddie Munoz and Santiago Munoz. The other members of the group include, Ty Lodgepole, Acosia Red Elk, Jorge Gonzales, Dominic Pablo and Freddy Grip. All of Indigenous Enterprise鈥檚 members are accomplished powwow dancers and hail from various tribes. Each member brings their own unique experiences and culture to the group.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to go out there and represent our cultures,鈥� Shirley said. 鈥淲e want people to come and experience something outside of the Hollywood stereotypes they see in Western movies. It鈥檚 great to have this showcase and representation.鈥�
Tickets to see Indigenous Enterprise are on sale through the MNA website. The performance will take place on Saturday, Nov. 25. There will be two separate performances one at 11 a.m. and another at 1 p.m. A special discount will be given to Native Americans and children. For more information and full prices please visit the MNA .