Kennedy Center and First Peoples Fund Announce WE THE PEOPLES BEFORE

First Peoples Fund and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts have announced We The Peoples Before, a festival of events designed to explore and expand deep truths and reflections about the history and experience of this country's Native peoples. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Center and the 25th anniversary of First Peoples Fund, We The Peoples Before is a collaboration in recognition of the rightful place of Native cultural practices as a central influence on the national landscape of arts and culture in the United States.

The four-day event will feature performances, workshops, film screenings, cooking demonstrations, discussions, and a signature multi-disciplinary stage production in the Eisenhower Theater. The festival will take place at multiple locations across the Kennedy Center's campus including the REACH and runs February 3-6, 2022.

"Through this unprecedented partnership, the Kennedy Center hopes to demonstrate and redouble our commitment to honoring and supporting Native peoples and their pivotal contributions to arts and culture," said Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Kennedy Center Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact.

"We are moved by the Kennedy family's long-standing connections and relationships with Native communities. We hope that through this partnership, we can carry this legacy forward as we center the healing, strength, and joy of Native communities at We The Peoples Before." said Lori Pourier (Oglala Lakota), President, First Peoples Fund.

The highlight of the celebration will be an innovative, multidisciplinary performance. Executive produced by Lori Pourier (Oglala Lakota) and Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and directed by Roberta Uno with original music. The production will feature Indigenous hip hop, dance, spoken word, and poetry that celebrates and honors the language, art, culture, creativity, storytelling, knowledge, and truths of Native communities.

Educational materials for classroom distribution across the U.S. will be introduced during the event and formally launched and distributed to schools next fall. A first of its kind, developed by a diverse team of Indigenous educators, the curricula challenges educators and students to learn about Indigenous cultures, history, art, and stories from first contact through present day along a path that includes dispossession, adaptation, reclamation, and resilience, taking students on a learning journey that enables them to know, honor, and share authentic, accurate, and positive representations of Indigenous peoples. The new curricula is being designed to engage thousands of students and bring Indigenous culture, history, and stories to the forefront of American education. Featured artists in the curriculum will include Alfred "Bud" Lane III, Vice President of Siletz Tribal Council and Northwest Native American Basketweavers Association, who works tirelessly to ensure cultural continuity as a devoted teacher of the Siletz language and traditional practices. Also included in the curriculum is Lani Hotch, a Tlingit weaver who has transformed the small, ancient village of Klukwan, Alaska through her work to restore tradition and culture, creating woven art which communicates identity through relationships to land, people, animals, and plants.

We The Peoples Before, performances, storytelling, and discussions will catalyze today's cultural momentum toward equity and justice, centering the history and experiences of Native communities. Learn more about Native cultural expression and sovereignty: www.wethepeoplesbefore.org.

TICKET INFORMATION

All events are FREE, but some require advance reservations. Advance reservations will be available on Wednesday, January 19 at 10 a.m.

For all Millennium Stage performances, a limited number of advance reservations are available on a first come, first served basis. Patrons who make advance reservations must check-in at least 15 minutes before their performance time, after which point their reservation will be made available to walk-up patrons. Free tickets will also be available on the day of the performance 30 minutes prior to the performance time, and walk-ups are encouraged. For performances in the REACH, please check-in with the Box Office at the Welcome Pavilion. For performances on Millennium Stage North or South, please check-in with the Hall of States Box Office.

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