Bold autumn colors and the soft, harmonic sounds of flute and drum music filled the Student Union Wednesday afternoon at the third annual Native American Bazaar.
According to organizers, more than 800 people attended the bazaar, which was not only meant to celebrate the Native American culture, but also to spread a general understanding of the unique customs and lives of a people that make up less than one percent of the UB population.
"The purpose of the event is to promote awareness of other cultures, specifically the Native American culture," said Mitchell Chavez, a staff assistant for Multicultural Affairs and bazaar coordinator.
The Native American People's Alliance, the group that sponsored the midday celebration, spent the past six weeks organizing and planning it, and offered fact sheets about many Native American tribes indigenous to Western New York, including the Mohawk, Tuscarora, and Oneida nations.
"The importance (of) harvesting of the 'three sisters,' corn, squash and beans, is our theme this year," Chavez said.
Daniel Hill, artisan and member of the Cayuga nation, exhibited his woodwork with a dozen hand-carved flutes.
"I was asked by the Native American People's Alliance to make different flutes for the event, to show the importance of music in Native American life," Hill said.
Students said they found the bazaar both interesting and beautiful.
"The wooden instruments were so intricately made, I was really impressed," said Jonathan Amitrano, a junior business major.
In addition to his artistic contribution, Hill also served as a storyteller for the afternoon, telling a folk story about the history of winter to the crowd.
Twenty bright-eyed young children of the Early Childhood Research Center at UB also participated in the festivities with pillow and necklace making, bowl painting, and other arts and crafts meant to help the children grasp Native American culture with a creative hands-on experience.
"The point was to give participants the opportunity to take part in many different aspects of American Indian life, from the food to the art to the story-telling," Chavez said.
"Judging by the numbers and the overall reaction to the event, it was more successful than I expected," Chavez added. "People really enjoyed it."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
