Native American Traditional Maple Sugar Festival March 14

Maple Sugaring has been a tradition in New England for centuries that heralds the first glimpse of spring. This tradition was practiced long before the colonists arrived by Native Americans, who in fact where the first people to tap the sugar maple in order to make sugar. The gathering of sap and production of maple sugar is an important event in the annual lifecycle of Native Americans. It is a time when large extended families would gather at Sugar Maple plots to share in the work of making maple sugar.

On March 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Institute for American Indian Studies on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut, there will be a maple sugaring demonstration by Jeff and Judy Kalin of Primitive Technologies. The Kalins will demonstrate several traditional techniques of collecting sap and boiling it down into sugar. This maple sugar celebration, collection and boiling down process will take place in the newly restored 16th century replicated Algonquian Village. Visitors will listen to traditional Native American stories of the ways the sap was collected and how important the seasonal gift of maple sap is to the Native American community.

"We want visitors to the Institute to understand how Native people learned to transform the sap from a tree into sugar," explains Jeff Kalin. "We will be demonstrating the traditional techniques of collecting and evaporating this sap using a variety of tools and containers. Hot stones pulled from the fire will be used to evaporate the sap from wood containers, which alone would not have been able to withstand the direct fire." Kalin will explain how water is evaporated from sap using simple techniques and items made and collected from the forest, which is key to how Native Americans made maple sugar traditionally. Visitors will also learn about the importance of how understanding seasonality and their environment, made it possible for local inhabitants to use the sap from the maple tree to provide an annual supply of sugar for their use or trade among the Native American communities and colonists.

An added sweet bonus of this event is the “made from scratch” pancakes served up with local maple sugar, coffee, and orange juice. The Maple Sugar Demonstration is noon – 3 pm., the Pancake Brunch is 11 am – 2 p.m., and children’s activities are 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 pm. The cost is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, children are $6, and members are free. The pancake breakfast is an additional $5.

About The Institute for American Indian Studies

Located on 15 acres of woodland acres the Institute For American Indian Studies preserves and educates through archeology, research, exhibitions, and programs. They have a 16^th c. Algonquian Village, Award-Winning Wigwam Escape, and a museum with temporary and permanent displays of authentic artifacts from prehistory to the present that allows visitors to foster a new understanding of the world and the history and culture of Native Americans. The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Road, Washington, CT.

Make a primitive pendant at Institute for American Indian Studies

If you like jewelry and have an interest in ancient tribal jewelry, the Institute for American Indian Studies has the perfect workshop for you. On Saturday, March 29 from 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. the Insitute is running a "Stone Pendant" Workshop with primitive technologist Jeff Kalin of Cherokee descent.

It is said that pendants, charms and amulets were often found in and around grave sites. They were believed to protect the wearer from disease and other calamities. These ground, polished and carved stones were often made from slate and worn around the neck. They were often carved as effigies. The Thunderbird and various animals are some examples of effigies that were commonly sculpted.

Learning from Jeff Kalin, workshop participants will use steatite, slate and pipe stone to fashion pendants and beads. Students will learn to shape, polish, incise and drill, using stone age traditional tools and techniques. Call 860-868-0518 to reserve your space today.

Registration is required and the cost of the workshop is $60 which includes materials for non-members and $55 for members of the Institute.  The Institute for American Indian Studies is located on 38 Curtis Rd. in Washington CT. For more information visit www.iaismusuem.org.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Famous Native American Potter at the Institute for American Indian Studies

The contemporary pottery of Melvin C. Cornshucker of Cherokee descent is being featured in the Litchfield Hills at the Institute for American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Rd. in Washington CT through the month of March.  Cornshucker is an award winning Cherokee potter, who works in stoneware, porcelain and raku clay. 

Mel's work can be found in collections across the United States, Europe, and Africa, and he has been invited to exhibit at museums in Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, California, Kansas and now Connecticut. Mel also participates in annual juried shows and exhibitions including the Santa Fe Indian Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Eiteljorg Indian Market in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Art Show in Phoenix, Arizona, the Contemporary Indian Art Show at Cahokia, Illinois, and many other notable venues.

His work is widely sought in international collections as well as in the United States. His work has been exhibited and sold all over the world from Santa Fe, Arizona to South Africa.

Mel's work is noted for being unique, functional, and aesthetic art pieces that are decorated primarily with Native American motifs.  His signature designs are influenced by the generations of jewelers and weavers in his family. Mel strives to make his stoneware, porcelain and raku clay pieces visually pleasing and functional. It is his desire to create pieces that communicate the Native American spirit both past and present. 

Mel, born in Oklahoma but raised in Missouri, comes from an artistic family. His father was a silversmith, his grandfather a rug weaver and his aunts are basket weavers. While attending law school at Southwest Baptist University, he became interested in a ceramics class. After completing the class, he left school to pursue his new passion of pottery making. Within a few years, he became a master potter. Mel owns and operates a studio in Tulsa,

Oklahoma where he sells his work and teaches the art of pottery.

This Exhibition is in the "Four Directions" Gift Shop of the Institute for American Indian Studies and runs through March 31, 2014. There is no charge for this exhibition.  The museum is open Monday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm Sunday 12 Noon to 5 pm and the last admission 4:30 pm. For more information http://www.iaismuseum.org. For information on the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com