Indians not invited to Hudson anniversary

Native Americans Hold Own Celebration Of Hudson AnniversaryThis week marked the end of the 400th anniversary festivities hosted by New York City and the surrounding cities and towns along the Hudson River.

The celebrations were to commemorate Henry Hudson’s expiration of the Hudson. Left out of these festivities were Native Americans. None of the Native communities in New York or New Jersey where invited to any of the events commemorating this anniversary. Although many of the effects of the Dutch’s arrival on to the Hudson here negative for the areas Native population, many communities have survived. On September 19th and 20th at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights, Westchester New York the Redhawk Native American Arts Council will host the only Native American celebration of Hudson’s 400th Anniversary called Native People of the Lower Hudson Valley.

Over 1,000 artists, performers and educators from across the Americas will be demonstrating the finest in Native American song, dance, drumming, food, art and crafts. The highlight of the event will be Eastern Woodlands song and dance from Iroquois and Delaware traditional performing groups.Comment:  Curious. Compare this to the presence of Indians at a similar celebration: Indians at St. Augustine Anniversary. These days I think it would be automatic to invite Indians to an event that dramatically changed their history. And why not, since Indians would provide some color to a plain-vanilla event?