If you’ve never been to the Shinnecock Indian Nation’s annual powwow on Labor Day weekend, here’s your chance to change that. The sovereign tribe’s 78th powwow kicks off tomorrow and runs through Monday — a celebration of Indigenous history, culture, food, and tradition.
We urge you to attend. Ticket sales support the tribe, which has historically faced opposition whenever it launches a new initiative (Montauk Highway advertising monuments, a cannabis dispensary, a travel plaza). The powwow is an opportunity to learn and appreciate a culture different from many others, one that is often overlooked and undervalued.
Information on the powwow can be found in the pages of today’s Star under a separate heading for “Shinnecock.” In past years this information often appeared under the heading of “Southampton,” but we realized there are more inclusive ways to communicate it. Shinnecock has its own identity and history separate from that of Southampton Town. Giving the tribe an individual space in The Star and attending the powwow are two small ways the rest of us can acknowledge this.