Piscataway-Conoy Festival And Pow Wow Returns To Cedarville After More Than A Decade

WALDORF, Md. — The Piscataway-Conoy Tribe will welcome the public to Cedarville June 13-14 for the return of the Piscataway-Conoy Festival and Pow Wow, reviving a cultural gathering that has not been held at the site in more than a decade.

The two-day event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Piscataway Indian Museum and Cultural Center, 16816 Country Lane in Waldorf, bringing together Native and non-Native visitors for a celebration of Indigenous culture, traditions, music, dance and community.

The festival is part of a nearly 40-year tradition reconnecting the community to land with deep historical significance to the Piscataway people. The site sits near the headwaters of Mattawoman Creek, an area closely tied to the history of Piscataway communities along the Potomac River.

Throughout the weekend, visitors can experience traditional drumming, dancing, storytelling, Native arts and crafts, food vendors and cultural demonstrations. The event will feature invited drums from across the region, including Little Whirlwind of Michigan, Red Blanket of New Jersey and Zotigh Singers from Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.

Special performances are scheduled throughout the weekend, including traditional Pow Wow dancing, modern hoop dancing and Bolivian and Mayan/Aztec cultural performances.

Pow Wow head staff include Head Man Dancer Charles Gray of the Piscataway community, Head Lady Dancer Sky Ironhorse of Apache and Comanche heritage, Arena Director Chris Fortune of the Rappahannock Tribe and emcee Keith Colston of the Lumbee and Tuscarora tribes.

A Homecoming Rooted In History And Culture

Piscataway-Conoy Tribal Chairman Francis Gray described the return of the Piscataway-Conoy Festival and Pow Wow to Cedarville as a “homecoming” that reconnects tribal members with a place deeply rooted in community memory and cultural identity.

“To sum it up, it’s a homecoming,” Gray said. “It is a space that resides in my elders’ memory bank. It’s a space that resides in children of a time past, that are now adults, and it’s a space that is a void with the younger generation, who only have heard about what we speak about.”

Gray said the event’s return was driven by years of dedicated work by tribal citizens who wanted the gathering restored to Cedarville after previous festivals were held elsewhere. He said tribal leaders decided to focus on the present day rather than waiting for ideal circumstances.

“The voices from our citizens always came back to ask, ‘Why not back here at Cedarville? Why are we somewhere else?’ The tribal council got behind this process to ensure that we need to do it now,” Gray said. “We can’t wait for what may be perceived as the perfect time.”

The chairman emphasized the significance of the property itself, explaining that the tribe has occupied and used the site for decades through educational and cultural programming. While the tribe continues to lease the property, Charles County and the Piscataway-Conoy Tribe are working through a process that could ultimately transfer ownership of the land to the tribe.

“We were tenants. We only leased the property here. We are now in a position to control our own destiny, to have the tribal entity owning its land,” Gray said. 

Gray said the Pow Wow represents more than a cultural celebration. He described it as an opportunity to reconnect multiple generations of Piscataway citizens while sharing Indigenous culture, history and traditions with the broader public.

“The history is not taught that well in our school systems, so we understand we have a lot of work in front of us,” Gray said. “We also understand that we have a lot of opportunities that we must step into to ensure we do not disappear into the written language or into anybody’s mind and memory.”

He said that many local place names, waterways and communities throughout Southern Maryland originate from Piscataway history and language, yet many residents know little about the people behind those names. The festival offers an opportunity for visitors to meet tribal members and experience a living culture that continues more than 400 years after European settlement.

“When our elders stood up and they put skin in the game, their own skin, to search and find this home, this place, it began a revitalization of the Piscataway,” Gray said. “This property sits between two branches of a major creek known as the Mattawoman. It is significant that this is the beginning of that creek, which is also the beginning and the revival of the Piscataway people back to the land.”

Gray also highlighted the role of the youth in the event, saying visitors will see children, teenagers and young adults actively participating in cultural traditions. He said the Pow Wow preserves and shares Piscataway culture with younger generations.

“They will see the younger generations participating as well. They will see younger generations with their artwork creating. They will see younger generations not only living in the Indigenous world, but they’re also living in the general populous world,” Gray said. “Those Piscataway citizens are functioning, operating and learning in two worlds simultaneously.”

Looking ahead, Gray said tribal leaders intend for the Pow Wow’s return to Cedarville to become a lasting tradition and part of a broader effort to strengthen cultural preservation, education and community engagement for future generations.

“We will survive, we will thrive, we will continue this process,” Gray said. “We’re building the capacity within ourselves with multiple generations of tribal citizens, so there will always be a continuation.”

Gray said visitors who have never attended a Pow Wow should come prepared to learn, engage respectfully and appreciate the event’s cultural significance. He encouraged attendees to be mindful of tribal customs and remember the gathering is first and foremost a celebration of living Indigenous culture.

“Be respectful. Do not assume. Ensure you are polite. We’re human beings just like everyone else. We just live a different life and ways,” Gray said.

The festival welcomes attendees of all ages and offers opportunities to learn about Native cultures through music, dance, art and personal interaction with tribal members and performers.

The event is intended to bring together families, community members and visitors while celebrating Indigenous traditions and strengthening cultural connections for future generations.

Fast Facts About The Piscataway-Conoy Festival And Pow Wow

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