Second United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow

Join Prospect Park Alliance, the Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Collective (EL Collective), and American Indian Community House for the Second United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park on Saturday and Sunday, September 13 from 12–7 pm + September 14, from 12–5 pm. 

The first Pow Wow held in Prospect Park since 1972, and the second ever Lenape Pow Wow in New York City, this free, two-day public event welcomes the original Indigenous Lenape peoples who were forced to relocate across the continent back to their ancestral homelands to reunite and share their cultures with Brooklynites today. Join the weekend of family friendly fun, culture, art and learning with Indigenous dancers, drummers, and artisan craft and food vendors.

Free, RSVP Today!

Second United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow
Saturday, September 13, 12–7 pm + Sunday September 14, 12–5 pm
LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Park

Lenape/Lunáapeew means human beings or, more specifically, “the ones who came from thought,” and is the name of the indigenous peoples whose ancestral homelands encompassed what is today Brooklyn and the surrounding region. Pow Wows are gatherings where Lenape/Lunáapeew and neighboring Indigenous nations socialize and celebrate life. Prospect Park hosted intertribal Pow Wows from 1916 to 1972. EL Collective Founder George Stonefish organized the First United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow at the Park Avenue Armory in 2018. In 2024, Prospect Park Alliance held a culture fair with the American Indian House and EL Collective as a precursor to this year’s Pow Wow. 

“Reviving the Pow Wow tradition in Prospect Park provides the Lenape/Lunáapeew who were forced to relocate across the continent back to their ancestral homelands to reunite and celebrate, and offers Brooklynites of all backgrounds the chance to immerse themselves in the cultures of the original stewards of this land,” said Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that sustains the park in partnership with the City. “This historic event is a crucial step in healing deep-seated wounds from our nation’s past and ensuring that all in our community see themselves in our programming. We are grateful to our partners, EL Collective and the American Indian Community House, and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, for making this celebration possible.”

“New York’s Lenape heritage continues to have a profound effect on our city today, and I’m thrilled to see this rich legacy celebrated and honored,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “My agency is proud to support this remarkable event welcoming back the Lenape people to their ancestral homelands. It gives us all the opportunity to engage with and celebrate their rich culture through the artists, creators, performers, crafts and foods that will be included in the festivities. This first Pow Wow held in Prospect Park since 1972 also creates an especially meaningful moment for us to come together as we reflect on the 400th anniversary of our city’s founding as New Amsterdam.”

“We are thrilled to join our partners at Prospect Park Alliance, American Indian Community House and the City in our work to bring together our Lenape communities from across Turtle Island,” said George Stonefish, Founder of EL Collective, which brings together Lenape/Lunáapeew communities who have been displaced across Turtle Island (North America). “This Pow Wow serves as an educational message to the broader community, and a social and cultural message for us, the Lenape people. We want all to leave the Pow Wow with a deeper understanding about why we as contemporary Native Americans still follow our culture, practice our dances and share our songs today.”

“This event holds significant cultural and historical importance, serving as a vibrant celebration of the rich traditions, heritage, and enduring spirit of the Lenape/Lunáapeew people,” said Patricia Tarrant, Executive Director of American Indian Community House. “The Pow Wow not only fosters cultural awareness and appreciation but also brings together diverse communities in the spirit of unity and respect. Events like this provide an invaluable platform for both education and cultural exchange. We commend the organizers, participants, and supporters of the Pow Wow for their dedication and hard work in showcasing and honoring these traditions. It is through such gatherings that we can build stronger, more inclusive communities that recognize and cherish the contributions of Native American cultures to our shared history.”

“We’re proud to welcome the Lenape Pow Wow back to New York City and Prospect Park! Great public parks have the power to bring people together, build connections, and foster community, so it’s so appropriate that ‘Brooklyn’s Backyard’ will host this celebration of Lenape/Lunáapeewand heritage and culture,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. “We look forward to welcoming everybody to this great event, reviving the tradition of formal Pow Wows in Prospect Park.”

The Pow Wow is part of the Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts initiative, which is transforming the park’s Lefferts Historic House museum to explore the lives, resistance and resilience of the Indigenous people of Lenapehoking, whose unceded ancestral lands the park and house rests upon, and the Africans who were enslaved by the Lefferts family. On view at Lefferts in conjunction with the Pow Wow is Eelunaapéewi Ehaptoonáakanal: Voices of Lunáapeew/ Lenape, an exhibit celebrating 400 years of Indigenous resilience. Featuring video interviews with Lunáapeew/Lenape knowledge-keepers and culture bearers about their relationships to their ancestral homelands, including those with the EL Collective.

“New Yorkers are deeply interested in the original peoples of this land and their heritage, culture and art,” said Dylan Yeats Ph.D., Prospect Park Alliance’s Lefferts Historic House museum director. “Prospect Park Alliance seeks to welcome the original peoples of this land to the park and support their efforts to preserve and share their traditions. This Pow Wow will be very special since Lenape from across the continent will be reconnecting with their lands and each other. It is a real privilege and honor for Brooklynites to be able to host and participate in this historic event, which will also be incredibly fun.”

This Pow Wow is presented with support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and ally sponsorship from Middle Church.