The Briscoe Western Art Museum invites the community to celebrate Native American culture with its annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free, family-friendly event honors the rich cultural traditions and artistic expressions of Native American communities, showcasing art, music, dance, storytelling and more. Taking place along the scenic River Walk, the festival provides the perfect setting for families to come together and enjoy a day of learning, creativity and celebration. Free event registration is available online.
A vibrant display of Native American heritage that brings together diverse tribes and artists from across the region, the free community festival features storytelling, artist demonstrations, pottery and carving throughout the Briscoe’s campus, as well as Native American-inspired food. The celebration includes free admission to the Briscoe, making it a perfect way to celebrate the important role Native Americans played in shaping the West while enjoying art and artifacts that highlight Native American history.
“Native Americans have played a profound role in shaping the history, culture and spirit of the American West. Their deep connection to the land, their traditions and their art have left an indelible mark on the region’s story. At the Briscoe, we honor these contributions by celebrating and preserving that heritage through exhibitions and events,” said Liz Jackson, President and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum. “It’s essential that we recognize and honor Native American communities today, not just for their historical significance, but for their ongoing influence on the culture and identity of the West.”
Named in honor of the Payaya people who were indigenous to the San Antonio area, “Yanaguana” was the word they used to describe what is now known as the San Antonio River. The festival has been held annually since the museum opened. Visitors can register online to attend the free event.
Experience Native American Culture Through Art, Music and Dance
The Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival offers a unique opportunity to experience Native American culture firsthand. Throughout the day, attendees can enjoy:
Live Performances: Traditional Native American dancers, musicians and drummers and will share their cultural heritage through mesmerizing performances. From powerful drum circles to the soulful beauty of the Native American flute, these performances are sure to captivate audiences of all ages.
Storytelling Sessions: Engaging storytellers will share traditional Native American tales, offering insight into the values, beliefs and history of Native communities.
Hands-on Activities: Families can participate in hands-on art and craft workshops, allowing children and adults alike to create their own artwork inspired by Native American traditions.
Artisan Market: Browse a curated selection of Native American artwork and talk with the artists as they demonstrated their crafts, including jewelry, pottery, beadwork and textiles.
The festival’s focus on art and culture aligns perfectly with the Briscoe’s fall exhibition, Storytellers: Narrative Art and the West. This special exhibition explores how Native American and Western artists use narrative art to convey history, culture and identity. It features works that tell powerful stories of the American Southwest, blending traditional Native American art forms with contemporary perspectives.
Admission and all crafts and activities included in the festival are free. The 2024 event features:
A spiritual blessing by United San Antonio Pow Wow, Inc., a group that works to provide Native American people the opportunity to participate, practice, teach and exchange tribal traditions among all tribes and to enlighten everyone about the history and culture of America’s first inhabitants.
A Pow Wow-style drum circle with United San Antonio Pow Wow and Enemy Horse Drumming demonstrating and explaining common pow wow dance styles.
Live music by Native American artists, including Tim Blueflint Ramel. An enrolled member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, a federally recognized American Indian Tribe, flute player Blueflint Ramel has opened for and shared the stage with Grammy Award Winner Mary Youngblood and a wide variety of artists. He is also an accomplished flute and jewelry maker and will demonstrate his craft throughout the day.
Chikashsha Hithla dance troupe demonstrating traditional Chickasaw dance. Comprised of native people from Southeastern American Indian tribes, members of the troupe are Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole and Creek, who are dedicated to preserving their culture and educating the public through songs, storytelling and Stomp dancing.
Stories from Amy Bluemel, a Chickasaw storyteller and the great-granddaughter of Eastman Kaney, an original Dawes Commission enrollee. Bluemel shares Chickasaw customs and those of other southeastern tribes through elaborate storytelling.
Native American art demonstrations, including ledger art with artist George Curtis Levi, showcasing how ledger art captures a moment in time. A type of art that originated amongst the Cheyenne in the late 1840s, ledger art utilized pages of repurposed record books to depict everyday life. A member of the Southern Cheyenne tribe in Oklahoma, Levi also has ties to the Arapaho and Oglala Lakota communities.
Kachina carving with Kevin Horace Quannie, a Hopi/Navajo contemporary artist. Living on the Hopi reservation, Quannie specializes in carving contemporary kachina dolls using cottonwood roots.
See traditional pottery techniques of the Caddo Nation with Chase Kahwinhut Earles, a renowned Caddo pottery maker who has dedicated his craft to reviving and preserving the traditional pottery techniques of his Caddo Nation ancestors. Earles’ creates intricate, historically accurate pottery that reflects the deep cultural heritage of the Caddo people, whose pottery tradition dates back centuries. His works are celebrated for their authenticity, craftsmanship, and connection to Caddo history and spirituality.
Shane Hendren, a turquoise expert and a Diné/Navajo jewelry maker who is a member of the Indian Arts & Craft Association (IACA), an organization committed to promoting the integrity of materials used in native jewelry. Hendren returns to share his expertise of the turquoise gemstone.
Crafts and fun for all ages including making your own mosaic, leather medallions, basket and loom weaving, ledger art, a community weaving basket and creating your own parfleche case, a pouch typically made with rawhide that is painted with images or geometric designs. Plains Indians created the parfleche because of its utility, beauty and convenience. Other tribes in North America then adopted its use.
Festival visitors also enjoy free admission to the museum and its permanent collection of Western art and artifacts, including exhibitions that highlight the stories of the American Indian, cowboys, pioneering women and others that define the West.
