An American Indian event, the 13th Annual Santa Fe Days in the Park takes place Saturday and SundayMarch 18-19, 2017 at Sandy Lake Park. 10am to 5:30pm.
14th Annual SANTA FE DAYS in the Park is a FUN, FANTASTIC, FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT FEATURING two days of interactive festivities for the whole community. Celebrating Native American Indian culture through jewelry, crafts, dance, music, food, games, seminars, story-telling and hands-on teaching from respected educators of our Traditional knowledge.
This nonprofit event is brought to you by the Indigenous Institute of the Americas. Santa Fe Days features over 70 American Indian artists from at least 40 Nations. We are the only authentic Native American Indian art market in North Texas. Our artists have respected national and international reputations. They bring unique, handmade crafts designed from the knowledge of their ancestors. Our patrons come back year after year to see the beautiful Championship Pow Wow dancers and Mitotiliztli Yaoyollohtli Aztec dancers from the Dallas Ft. Worth community. Master of Ceremonies, Bows and Arrows Radio celebrity, Harold Rogers (Navajo/Diné) will once again complement the fantastic voice of Head Singer, Lance Tahchawwickah (Comanche/Nʉmʉnʉʉ) and Host Drum -STR8 South.
Our 2018 featured artists reflect our focus on family as the heart of our culture.
Tony Duncan (San Carlos Apache, Arikara, Hidatsa)
• Internationally recognized Canyon Records flute player
• Composer and winner of the 2013 Native Artist of the Year award by the Native American Music Awards
• Five-time World Championship Hoop Dancer
Violet Duncan (Plains Cree and Taino),
• 1st runner up for Miss Indian World 2012
• Championship Fancy Shawl dancer
• Author of two children’s books, When We Dance and Hoop Dance
Violet and Tony, with their beautiful children, will lead Hoop and Fancy Shawl dance workshops, flute and dance performances as well as storytelling. Please do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity for your family.
At our Courtyard Cultural Path family activity tent, Violet Duncan will be signing her books at the Native Perspectives literary exhibition and resource table. The literary exhibition will highlight children’s books by Native authors. Come browse our resources and ask questions about appropriate representation of Native culture in education.
“Cherish Turtle Island” is our Courtyard Cultural Path tent theme. We are thrilled to have our turtle protector, herpetologist Michaela Mullen from the Curious Turtle, a non-profit education outreach for turtles and tortoises. Children will learn about the lessons Turtle brought to the Native people. Our 2nd annual Turtle Island coloring contest will be for ages 4 to 12. Prizes on Saturday and Sunday for 1st and 2nd place winners will be selected each afternoon at 4:30pm. Children will also be excited to make dance sticks and dreamcatchers. Our Three Sisters seed display and hands-on activities will entertain the whole family.
Park Gates open at 10:00am with the sound of our Aztec dancers honoring our ancestors. Opening ceremony, Saturday, March 17, 2018, starts at 10:45am at the Santa Fe Days Entertainment Stage. Our Color Guard, Renegade Nation, asks everyone to join us in honoring one of the founders of the Navajo Code Talkers Association and highly decorated Vietnam Veteran. All Veterans, Active-Duty service members, Color Guards and Tribal flags are invited to join us for this beautiful observance of our culture’s love for this country.
On Sunday, a special guest, Marika Alvarado, Traditional healer from Austin, will be taking park visitors on a tree walk to learn about the use of trees in Native medicine at 11:00am and 1:30pm. Ms. Alvarado will start the walk at the Courtyard Cultural Path Storyteller corner where elders and children come together to learn our stories.
All weekend, our Stickball Director, Eli Hickman and his D/FW Kabutcha Toli stickball practice group will work with beginner and intermediate players to improve their technique. All Stickball players are welcome to join us for demonstrations and exhibition games. Do you play Lacrosse? Come and learn the origins of Lacrosse!
This year Santa Fe Days will present six of the best American Indian family cooks in the four-state area. Indian Tacos, Frybread, corn soup, meat pies and other traditional dishes will be available for purchase.
Sandy Lake Amusement Park is the perfect setting for all day fun. Bring your lawn chairs, ride the Sandy Lake train and enjoy the authentic sights, sounds, foods and time-honored traditions of the Native American Indian community in the heart of North Texas. Need more information? Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram at SANTAFEDAYS and LIKE us at Santa Fe Days in the Park. Detailed schedule of events available at www.santafedays.com and/or www.iiamericas.org.
Park admission is $2.00 per person which gives you access to the event with free parking at Sandy Lake Amusement Park, 1800 Sandy Lake Road, Carrollton, TX. The park is west of I-35E on Sandy Lake Road. The event is on March 17th & 18th, 2018 from 10:00am – 5:30pm each day
The Indigenous Institute of the Americas Vision is a world that understands, values, respects, and celebrates indigenous cultures of the Americas.
