Mothers Day Benefit Concert, May 8th, 2022 at South Hill Cider, Ithaca, NY
Mother Nature blessed OJI:SDA’, and mothers everywhere in Central New York, this past Mother’s Day with a stunner of a sun-blasted, blue-sky, spring-is-really-here kind of day. It was the perfect backdrop for OJI:SDA’s first public outdoor music fundraising event held in Ithaca, NY.
OJI:SDA’ pulled together a lineup of singers, musicians, and spoken word performers who filled the air of South Hill with lively beats, song, and performances. The well-attended event was held at South Hill Cider, tucked away at the end of a winding, climbing road in the rolling hills of Ithaca. It couldn’t have been a better setting for the event that drew families and supporters, both local, and those from out of town, up for a day trip.
Opening the event with the Ganonyok, the words that come before all else to give thanks, was given by traditional Gayogoho:no (Cayuga) Bear Clan Sachem Chief Sam George.
Following the opening was a melodic flow of performers including Travis Knapp and Annie Sumi, a pair of acoustic maestros who provided a special collaborative weaving of sound and energy. Angela Marion, a notable acoustic country favorite, sparked a ripple in the grass of infectious toe-tapping. Dr. Nia Nunn, a hometown mover and shaker, and Ithaca College professor, known for her transformative fusion of spoken word, poetry, and music invited a call and answer number with the crowd. And, Venissa Santi, a latin jazz vocal sensation captured the free and high-spirit feeling of the day in her expressive performance.
Closing out the event was renowned Akwesasne Mohawk singer Bear Fox and Lydia Garrison, a fantastic fiddler and banjo picker. Fox, accompanied by Garrison, gave an apt performance of her “Our Precious Mothers”-- a song that pays both tribute to mothers and Mother Earth and underscores the need to appreciate, care for and be mindful of the land and precious resources.
Tahila Mintz, founder and director of OJI:SDA’, expressed her gratitude to all of the performers who came out to make the Mother’s Day fundraiser a success. “I was so thrilled that we were blessed with a spectacular day, further complemented by a series of performances that created a fun, festive, and thoroughly enjoyable day for everyone who came out,” said Mintz. “I felt we had a strong showing, and with little kids running through the orchards, punctuating the performances with giggles and shrieks of excitement, it made for a perfect day.”
Attendees not only received a satisfying treat to the ear, but took in delicious offerings by Chef Billy of Earth Sol Catering. The sales of the day were all dedicated to the fundraising effort.
All proceeds from the event will go to Mochik Ania ~ Camp Turtle, an Indigenous youth camp focusing on traditional lifeways, land-based learning, sustainability practices, and media arts. Campers fourteen years of age and older will engage in gardening, cultural practices such as tanning hides, crafting narratives and storytelling in multimedia formats.
Mintz said she is excited about having closed out OJI:SDA’s first public event that will make way for the camp. “The ultimate goal is to empower youth voices and ignite a passion for learning and perpetuating Indigenous lifeways,” said Mintz. “With the fundraising event in the books, we’re just getting started and moving closer to what we really want to accomplish.”
Mochik Ania ~ Camp Turtle is an exciting new land-based learning summer camp for Indigenous youth
featuring immersive hands-on experiences focused on ecology and sustainability with cultural lifeways teachers. Campers will also get to work with digital media creatives learning how to use media tools for sharing stories and empowering their voices. Participants will learn plant identification, making shelters, starting fires without matches, and hide tanning, while going on a variety of outdoor adventures.
Sustainability skills is a major focus
Sustainability skills is a major focus, through gardening activities (both food and herbal medicines), water quality testing, and building photovoltaic solar systems and pump irrigation water for the garden. We plan to build the infrastructure each year so that we have a dedicated building for the media arts equipment and more, allowing us to offer camp experiences for a growing range of age groups.
Learn more here
OJI:SDA’ Sustainable Indigenous Futures
May 8th, 2022 Mother’s Day Benefit Concert for Indigenous youth camp at South Hill Cider in Ithaca, NY featuring an amazing lineup of acoustic performers and tasty food for a great cause.
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