A fundamental HonorWorks project goal is to expose more non-Native people to the rich Coast Salish Native culture, art and music. The stories, art, and music that have survived for millennia need to actively be preserved and supported by a broader audience. Such support comes from understanding and exposure through events like the Penn Cove Water Festival. This event began in the 1930s and has become a meeting place for many Northwest Coast Salish Tribes. The project objectives are to begin a tradition of encouraging the Tribes to display their art, music, dance, and culture, and establish a venue for this tradition to sustain during ensuing years. By doing so, those visitors who have limited exposure to the Native community will gain invaluable access to the various Coast Salish cultural practices.
We have partnered with the HonorWorks organization to capture this year's Native performers and Coast Salish art. The HonorWorks staff will collect images and video of musicians, stories, dancers, sculptures, and other works of art, then edit them into a compelling presentation DVD. This compilation of Native arts will be an important tool that will attract potential corporate and individual sponsors in order to continue this rich cultural aspect of the Penn Cove Festival in coming years.
An indirect benefit from this project is that by providing the platform for a cultural exchange between people that exposes a wide audience to their art, Native youth will be more inspired to create art and hone their musical and dancing skills in the traditional ways of their ancestors. It is imperative that the richness of the Coast Salish stories, music, and art do not fade through the generations. By providing a venue to display Coast Salish Native traditional and contemporary artistic creations, we will not only help this cross-cultural exchange effort, but also ensure its preservation and support.
Please consider helping us to preserve and expand the expression of Native Arts, and its integral role in making positive and lasting impacts on peoples and cultures around the world.
