Glen Cove residents, visitors feast on native food, learn about traditions

People attending the Native American Feast on Saturday at the Garvies Point Museum & Preserve in Glen Cove saw a lot of familiar foods and food preparation: acorn squash cooking in outdoor fire embers just like potatoes that modern-day Long Islanders may cook on a camping trip. And popcorn like at the movies — only unsalted and with kernels of different colors.

“This shows them how Native American people lived off the land — how they grew their own foods and didn’t have processed food and survived when there were no grocery stores,” said Michelle Clemente, 47, of Seaford, who brought sons Ryan, 12, and Jason, 6, to learn about native foods.

It’s the museum’s biggest event of the year, typically attracting about 2,000 people over two days, said Veronica Natale, the museum’s director. The event continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children 5-12.

Natale’s mother, Kathryne Natale, said she started the event in the 1980s when she was supervisor of the museum, after a nature walk with a Native American food theme drew a big crowd.

Veronica Natale said the food displays came from research of Native American life in what is now the northeastern United States. The recipes were adapted by Kathryne Natale from an Iroquois cookbook, she said.

No Native American tribes from Long Island or elsewhere were consulted or formally invited to the event, Veronica Natale said.

That bothers Robert Pharaoh, chief of the Montaukett Indian Nation.

“It is totally ludicrous they would have an event like this and not invite the local native community,” said Pharaoh, of Sag Harbor. “If they’re explaining to people about native culture, I think it would be a good idea to maybe have someone from that culture there to talk to people and represent their people and their tribes. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t.”

Pharoah said Native American participation would help ensure the accuracy of exhibit information.

Veronica Natale said the event long has been put together by museum staff and volunteers and “we didn’t send out formal invitations to anyone.”

At a few past feasts, federal grants paid for Native American dance troupes to perform, but there was no such grant this year, Natale said.

Participants of the event ate food such as boiled cornmeal with cranberries and a cornmeal and bean soup.

The popcorn was among the most popular sampling foods. Native Americans traditionally popped corn in pottery over open fires, museum volunteer Jason Abdale said.

The red, yellow and purple color of the popcorn kernels were visible in the center of each piece.

“It tasted kind of sweet,” said Ryan Clemente, who didn’t miss the salt that today is usually added to popcorn.

“It’s not like movie popcorn,” mother Michelle Clemente said.

“It’s better,” Ryan said.