Indigenous Peoples Day 2025
Indigenous Peoples Day 2025
Lake Riley Lodge, Cobbs Hill – Rochester, NY
Sunrise to Sunset | Monday, October 13, 2025
Join us for a powerful, all-day celebration honoring Indigenous Peoples Day at Lake Riley Lodge in Cobbs Hill! From sunrise ceremony to sunset closing, the day will be filled with vibrant cultural experiences—music, dancing, storytelling, craftmaking, guest speakers, Native vendors, and educational activities for all ages.
The day runs 11-5 with the addition of the Sunrise (7am) and Sunset (6pm) ceremonies..
11:30 Hoop Dancing
12:00 Taino Dancers from Borinquen Dancers
1:00 Oneida Dancers & Singers, Traditional music,dance and stories
2:00 Cornbred Native Blues Band, Nammy award winning Native group
3:00 Seneca Alleghany River Dancers, Traditional song, story, and dance.
4:00 Portrait of a Beaver, Native Blues duo wait 'til you hear Curtis on harmonica!
Throughout the Indigenous Peoples' Day Haudenosaunee artisans will be demonstrating their work:
Ronnie Reitter will bring several traditional items made from cornhusks and explain their use and importance. Walkups will be able to make a cornhusk flower.
Michael Galban will provide a live ongoing demonstration of bullrush mat making. A rarely practiced art form of N. America which has fallen from use but is seeing a revival across turtle island.
Tonia Galban will bring her black ash, utilitarian, Mohawk basketry demonstration. Prompted; she will share her journey from a young gal growing up at Akwesasne with her grandmother & first teacher of Rotinosonni basketry, Orakwino, keha, Lazore-Terrance-Loran.
Jodi Maracle will be demonstrating hide tanning and sharing samples of the different ways that hides can be processed while engaging visitors to participate in various parts of the process.
Marissa Manitowabi will be demonstrating cordage making and inviting visitors to process plant fibers and to make a piece of cordage to take home. She will also share the various ways that cordage was traditionally used in Haudenosaunee communities and share samples of different materials that cordage can be made of.
Come learn, celebrate, and stand in solidarity with Indigenous communities.
Want to get involved?
Sign Up for a Volunteer Slot Now!
Vendors: Please fill our application form below and return to indigenouspeoplesdayrocny@gmail.com with all materials by September 30, 2025..
Upcoming Indigenous Peoples Events
Check out what events are coming up that honor and celebrate Indigenous People! While Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of Rochester NY will forever be on the second Monday in October, Indigenous heritage and culture can be honored and celebrated throughout the whole year. Native people are active members in their communities with events that happen all year round. Only events that are open to the public will be posted here.