The Kekionga Storytelling Festival highlights several area Native American cultural outreach activities taking place in the Fort Wayne area:
“Images of Native Americans: The Wanamaker Collection” Exhibit
Now through August 10th at The History Center. (website)
The History Center proudly hosts this nationally-traveling exhibition from the Mathers Museum of World Cultures at Indiana University. This exhibition features stunning photographs of early 20th century Native Americans, drawn from an 8,000 piece photograph inventory featuring over 150 individual tribes. The Wanamaker Collection is a one of a kind record and singular reflection of Native American lifeways shortly after the turn of the century. This display will be supplemented with local artifacts, images, and documents from the History Center’s collection to highlight the history and heritage of local Native American entities.
“Smoke Signals” Free Screening
July 27th, 6:30 pm at the Cinema Center.
Smoke Signals, the winner of both the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, is the first feature film written, directed and co-produced by Native Americans about Native Americans. Smoke Signals was written by Sherman Alexie, based on his book “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.” Smoke Signals is, at heart, about the meaning of family and connections, but it also clicks as an on-the-road adventure.
“ReelNative” Free Screening with Director Rebecca Nelson
July 30th, 7 pm at Cinema Center.
ReelNative is a unique short-film project that trains Native Americans of all ages to produce personal video stories. The project was launched as part of We Shall Remain. One of these filmmakers, Rebecca Nelson, will be at Cinema Center to lead a discussion following this screening of ReelNative.
We Shall Remain – Images from the Edward S. Curtis Collection
August 6th to September 3rd; Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery, Allen County Public Library
Edward Sheriff Curtis published The North American Indian between 1907 and 1930 with the intent to record traditional Indian cultures. The work comprises twenty volumes of narrative text and photogravure images. Each volume is accompanied by a portfolio of large photogravure plates.  (website)
Mihsihkinaahkwa Pow Wow
August 7th to the 9th; Morsches Park, State Road 205, Columbia City (website)
As seen on PBS39, the five programs from the WGBH series We Shall Remain will be shown throughout the weekend at the Whitley County Historical Museum.
2009 Conference on Community-Based Language Revival
August 29th to 30th; Hosted by IPFW Three Rivers Language Center
Community and tribal organizations, educators, linguists, and anyone else interested are invited to participate in a conference on reviving endangered languages. Special emphasis will be on the participation of the language community. The keynote address will be given by Daryl Baldwin of the Myaamia Project at Miami University and Scott Shoemaker of the Miami Nation of Indiana. The conference will also include dinner with an Old Order Amish family and a special viewing of original prints from the Curtis collection. Registration for the conference is free but mandatory.  (website)
The IPFW Helmke Library mDON (mastodon Digital Object Network)
Historical Digital Collections (website)
The IPFW Helmke Library mDON (mastodon Digital Object Network) Historical Digital Collections offers unparalleled access to many of the thousands of photos, documents, maps, manuscripts, and other valuable historical materials owned by the History Center in Fort Wayne Indiana, the IPFW Archaeological Survey, and the IPFW Walter E. Helmke Library. The Miami Indian collection currently contains images of artifacts, documents such as letters, Potawatomie land purchases, wills, and agreements, lithographs and portraits, and plat of Richardville reservation. In addition, as part of the WE SHALL REMAIN community outreach coalition, the Helmke Library will be the digital archivist for the activities, documents, and video produced as part of the local WE SHALL REMAIN programs.  Continue to visit this growing collection of northeast Indiana historical materials.  In Fort Wayne, WE SHALL REMAIN Coalition Partners include: PBS39, IPFW, History Center, Science Central, Allen County Public Library, Cinema Center, Miami Indian Alliance, The Walter E. Helmke Library, The Sovereign Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Whitley County Historical Museum.
WE SHALL REMAIN is an AMERICAN EXPERIENCE production in association with Native American Public Telecommunications for WGBH Boston. Funding for WE SHALL REMAIN provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ford Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and Kalliopeia Foundation. Exclusive corporate funding for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual. Major funding provided by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.  PBS39 broadcasts four channels: PBS39-1, a digital broadcast of our main program channel; PBS39-2 (PBS39 Kids), which is dedicated to quality, non-commercial, educational, children’s programming 24/7; PBS39-3 (PBS39 create), a national PBS schedule of “How To…”, travel, and lifestyle programs; and PBS39-4 (PBS39 4You), which offers local and Indiana-produced programs, news and public affairs, and the best of PBS.
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