The S’edav Va’aki Museum and Cultural Coalition are set to host the eighth annual Portal to the Past Festival on November 21, providing free access to a day of entertainment celebrating Indigenous culture and the significance of water heritage in the Valley of the Sun.
Festival Highlights and Activities
This year’s festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature a range of activities that showcase the history and ingenuity of the Ancestral O’Odham, the area’s original inhabitants. Attendees can look forward to live music, dance performances, artist demonstrations, and arts and crafts designed for families, all centered around the theme of water in the desert.
One of the key attractions will be the return of the Toka Tournament, a traditional game similar to field hockey and lacrosse, which will take place from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Teams from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Gila River Indian Community, and the Tohono O’Odham Nation will compete in a round-robin format. Toka is traditionally played by women from the O’Odham communities, and the games are known for their intensity.
Event Schedule
The festival will include various scheduled activities throughout the day, starting with the Toka Tournament and followed by a welcome address, performances by the Cruz Waila Band, and traditional dance presentations by the Keli Akimel Basket Dancers from the Gila River Indian Community. Additional ongoing activities will include crafts for children, artist demonstrations, and a show-and-tell of artifacts.
Event Information
The festival will take place at the S’edav Va’aki Museum, located at 4619 E. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85034. Admission is free and the event is open to the public, offering access to the museum’s main gallery, archaeological trail, and the new Indigenous Identities exhibit.
Support for the festival comes from various organizations, including the S’edav Va’aki Museum Foundation, Desert Diamond Casino, Central Arizona Project, Salt River Project, and Arizona Humanities.
Source: City of Phoenix
