Celebrating Mother Earth
Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers lead a dance through the vendors and exhibitors displays with event participants.
Our third annual event in celebration of Mother Earth and the many individuals and organizations working to preserve and protect our ancestral homelands and natural and cultural resources was a tremendous success.
Native Land Conservancy partnered with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Natural Resources Department, to hold The Honor the Earth Fair on the 18th of April, making the most of the tribe’s beautiful and welcoming Government and Community Center. We packed in more than 50 vendors and exhibitors, including conservation organizations Cape-wide and national organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, and The Audubon Society. Tribal artisans brought handmade traditional art and jewelry for sale, and there were lots of activities for children, from jewelry-making stations to a scavenger hunt with an ice cream award from Polar Cave for every child who participated.
Orleans Conservation Trust Director of Land Management Tom Keras engages with a fair visitor.
Town of Barnstable Senior Natural Resources Officer Amy Croteau with her taxidermy wildlife display.
More than 500 attended and we didn’t even mind the early birds who began flooding into the building before the 11 am start, or the parade of attendees that did not slow down throughout the day.
Visitors were fascinated by the ever-popular taxidermy wildlife collection display courtesy of Barnstable Senior Natural Resources Officer Amy Croteau. Every year she brings an amazing collection of ducks, geese, owls, and other raptors and fur-bearing animals, including river otter, skunk, raccoon, fox, coyote, squirrel, and even a cute little chipmunk. The traveling exhibit allows Amy to engage and educate audiences about the animals and their habits and habitats, and why they should be protected.
Elspeth Hay of the CAI Local Food Report and Taste of the Earth first place winner Kitty Hendricks Miller holding her prize.
About 20 people attended a nature hike through the tribal lands with NLC Land Care Manager and tribal Chief Earl Mills Jr., who introduced the walkers to the woodlands and plant life as relatives.
Seven chefs participated in the Taste of the Earth cooking contest sponsored by our friends at WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station. The contest invites local chefs to participate in a culinary competition with their best dishes made entirely from plant-based ingredients. The contest is judged by people attending the fair who purchase $10 tasting tickets, which allow them to sample all the dishes and then vote for their favorites. The cooks really outdid themselves! While everyone was a winner, Sue Sullivan of the Barnstable Land Trust won third place and was awarded a basket of traditional foods. Second place went to Sherry Pocknett for her spring power bowl, served by her nephew, Aquinnah Lopes Pocknett, who won a hand-carved wooden spoon. The first-place award of hand-coiled pottery made by our founder and board president, Ramona "Nosapocket" Peters, went to Kitty Hendricks Miller for her very popular two-bean dip and chips.
At the end of the day, the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers treated the gathering to a “Stomp Dance,” inviting everyone to participate in a call-and-response song and a follow-the-leader dance with rattles, weaving through the lanes of vendors and exhibitors. The thrilling finish winds the whole group into a tight circle with an exhilarating cheer for the finale. A fitting close to the event, as our cultural expression is always an echo of our love of the land.