Shinnecock Powwow draws huge crowd to Southampton for annual event celebrating Native American culture, traditions

The emotion of the day began to sink in for Robin Weeks early Saturday at the 80th annual Shinnecock Powwow.

It would be his final day dancing, he decided.

“I’ve enjoyed it; I’ve loved it,” said the former Shinnecock Tribal Council member and trustee. “Powwow was always very meaningful and very spiritual for me.”

He began dancing when he was about 9 years old and attended nearly every powwow since he was a child. But Weeks, who will soon turn 71, said the time has come to end his tenure as a dancer, in which he would showcase some of the oldest types of traditional dances.

“I’ve come to grips with the fact that this will be my last year dancing,” he said, adding that he had already scaled back from multiple days to one during the four-day powwow.

His decision coincided with a milestone moment as the Shinnecock celebrated eight decades and the sustained success of a powwow that continues to draw thousands of spectators. The second day of the powwow drew a huge crowd on a beautiful late summer day to the sacred space known as the Powwow Grounds for the celebration of the culture and traditions that date back centuries.

Co-master of ceremonies Charles K. Smith II welcomed the crowd and spoke about how they carry on traditions handed down from one generation to the next.

“As Shinnecock people, surrounded by the Hamptons, the wealth of the Hamptons, the fame of the Hamptons, we are still here living on the land our ancestors walked on, that our ancestors danced on,” he said.

People travel from across the country to attend the powwow, like Leticia Morris, from Nevada City, Calif. She said her mom’s side of the family is Indigenous, and she comes back to Long Island every few years for the powwow.

“It’s my family and I’m here to celebrate,” she said during grand entry for several hundred dancers.

The powwow featured dozens of vendors whose booths lined the perimeter of the grounds. Around midday, the lines grew two-dozen deep for guests seeking Indian tacos, frybread, burgers and crab cakes.

Matt Hunter, 41, of Shirley, performed several songs and played guitar early in the day, showcasing a mix of Bob Marley and Van Morrison covers and original songs.

“This is the annual family reunion for me,” he said, adding that he looks forward to reconnecting with many of his second and third cousins as they celebrate their Shinnecock heritage.

Jared Reyes, 50, of North Carolina, wore bright orange bustles on the back of his regalia, which symbolize how he’s a fancy dancer. Getting outfitted in the regalia is a process that he started either head to toe or toe to head, he said.

A Cherokee descendant, Reyes said even though this was his first time back to Shinnecock in about 10 years, it still feels like home after all the time he spent on the grounds as a youngster. He said getting to attend the 80th powwow made it extra special.

“And then you see a lot of old faces that you haven’t seen since you were a little kid,” he said. “It just kind of brings it back.”