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A tepee will be set up in Shemanski Park in the downtown park blocks on Sunday, in addition to live music and dance, art workshops, traditional cuisine and more for this year’s Land Back Festival, a celebration of Indigenous culture.
More than 40 vendors will sell traditional crafts and foods at the free festival, which runs 1-7 pm on Sunday, Sept. 1.
Even though this is the third year of the festival, this is a particularly “important and pivotal year for us,” says event producer Amanda Stubits. That’s because for the past few years, Land Back was under the umbrella of the Portland Parks Foundation’s festival Paseo. This year, it’s being hosted by the production company Ittibani, which is owned by Stubits, who is of mixed-native descent including from Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
“Now that it has switched hands, I think the community is really excited because now it’s our community’s vision,” Stubits says. “Everybody has really jumped in to be a part of it this year.”
Some of the featured events include a ribbon skirt-making workshop, a powwow dance demonstration, live storytelling by Indigenous elders, and a performance by reggae band Coloso (Collection of Lone Souljahs). And there won’t be just fry bread for sale, but also Indigenous cuisine made with foraged foods, elk, salmon and huckleberries.
The politically provocative title of the festival—Land Back—is intended to be a jumping-off point for attendees to learn about all of the topics that fall under that movement beyond just returning land to tribes. A big one for Stubits is breaking stereotypes about the Indigenous community that have arisen due to insufficient education in schools, lack of exposure, and lack of accurate representation in movies and TV.
“People will have a chance to come spend time and commune with us and build relationships and learn more about our culture through art and experience,” Stubits says. “We’re not just these ancient people. We are everyday people with everyday jobs as well.”