Queens Museum: "Honoring Our Connection to Ocean Ancestors and Reclaiming Ceremony: Shane Weeks and Tecumseh Ceaser in Conversation" - 11/11/21
[Image Description: An event flier that reads “YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY,” “Online Event,” “Honoring Our Connection to Ocean Ancestors and Reclaiming Ceremony,” “Shane Weeks and Tecumseh Ceaser in Conversation,” “Thursday, November 11, 2021 - 6:30pm to 7:30pm,” “YoU,” and “QUEENS MUSEUM” on a neon acid background.
Honoring Our Connection to Ocean Ancestors and Reclaiming Ceremony:
Shane Weeks and Tecumseh Ceaser in Conversation
Thursday, November 11, 2021
6:30-7:30pm EST
Register here
Join us for a conversation between Year of Uncertainty Artist-In-Residence Tecumseh Ceaser and artist Shane Weeks on the importance of reclaiming Indigenous ceremonies and our relationships with our local waterways. This event is presented in conjunction with Ceaser’s exhibition Water Connects Us All, which is now on view at Queens Museum with video contributions from both artists on the relationship between water and traditional Indigenous lifeways, notions of kinship, and shared history.
This event will focus on discussing Shane Weeks’ work on the preservation of Shinnecock culture and connection to the natural world. Over the last several years, Weeks has continued to play a vital role in performing traditional ceremonies for stranded whales and other marine life throughout the Queens and Long Island region. Before the deceased animal is removed from the beach, Weeks is called upon by organizations like the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society to conduct a blessing and offering, which honors the spirit of the animal and gives thanks for its creation. Whales hold a deep cultural significance to the Shinnecock Nation as well as other Indigenous communities in the region. The whale, or podtap in Shinecock, historically served as a staple food source and beached whales would be sustainably harvested by large whaling canoes that could hold nearly 100 people. The connection to this tradition continues to be acknowledged in Weeks’ work.
For more information on this event, please click here.