Stepping Out

Giving thanks for feasting and festivities

Timeless traditions usher in the holiday season

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Our thoughts are quickly turning to the big feast that arrives next week — and with it the spectacle and delights of the festive season ahead. The stage is set for the turkey, the trimmings, those visions of sugar plums, and so forth.
As a prelude to that Thanksgiving gathering with family and friends, step out and explore some of the many holiday-themed events nearby.

Feasting Native American-style
Way back when, Native Americans handed down time-honored practices involved in rejoicing over nature’s bounty at harvest time, even though it wasn’t Thanksgiving in the traditional sense. Yet, there was plenty of feasting and festivities as the tribal communities gathered to commemorate their harvest before preparing to settle in for the approaching winter.
An annual holiday tradition — one that has been popular here for over 25 years now — takes place at Garvies Point Museum and Preserve each year prior to Thanksgiving. The season’s festivities take the form of a Native American version of a holiday feast that celebrates the culture of Northeastern Native Americans.
This weekend’s hands-on program — held both indoors and out —gives visitors a first hand look at the life of these early Americans, through an interactive glimpse of their culture and daily living. Visitors can participate in tool and pottery-making, fire-making, spear-throwing and the use of the atlatl (a spear-throwing tool). Primitive fire building and on-site cooking (including Garvies’ famous popcorn soup) are among the favorite activities enjoyed by all who take part.
Families can also sample some authentic native foods and learn about the process of creating “dugout” canoes. In addition, there are displays of artifacts from the museum collection and an authentic reproduction of a wigwam, always a favorite with kids and adults.
While there, be sure to check out the museum’s permanent exhibits, which showcase Long Island’s Native American culture and archaeology, as well as the geology of Long Island and New York State. Films about Native American life are also shown hourly.

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