Monday, October 13th | Sunrise Ceremony | Indigenous Peoples Day
This is a program of the Indigenous Peoples Day Committee of Rochester. The Upper Monroe Neighborhood Association is proud to co-promote & support this event in Cobbs Hill Park.
WHEN: Monday, October 13, 2025
Sunrise to Sunset (Most events begin between 11:30 AM & 4:00 PM - See below)
WHERE: Lake Riley Lodge in Cobbs Hill Park - MAP LINK
WHO: Open to the public. Free of charge.
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, craft making, guest speakers, Native vendors, and educational activities for all ages.
7:00 AM - Sunrise ceremony at the White Pine Tree of Peace - Northeast side of Cobbs Hill Reservoir near The Grove. <MAP LINK>
11:30 AM - Hoop Dancing
12:00 PM - Taino Dancers from Borinquen Dancers
1:00 PM - Oneida Dancers & Singers, Traditional music, dance and stories
2:00 PM - Cornbread Native Blues Band, Nammy award winning Native group
3:00 PM - Seneca Alleghany River Dancers, Traditional song, story, and dance.
4:00 PM - Portrait of a Beaver, Native Blues duo wait 'til you hear Curtis on harmonica!
7:30 PM - Sunset ceremony
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
This is a program of the Indigenous Peoples Day Committee. UMNA is merely co-promoting the event as a way of supporting Native Peoples in our area.
Background
On June 14, 2022, City Council passed and the Mayor signed a Certified Ordinance stating that the City of Rochester shall recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on the Second Monday in October, and that Indigenous Peoples’ Day shall replace Columbus Day on all documents and calendars. In celebration of our third year, the Indigenous Peoples’ Day committee has planned a variety of activities that encourage understanding and appreciation of Indigenous Peoples and their traditions and culture all across Turtle Island, thus promoting the well-being and growth of the Rochester Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples’ Day gives our greater community an opportunity to reflect upon the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples on this land, and to celebrate the thriving culture and value that Onöndowága:’ (Seneca) and other Indigenous nations add to the City of Rochester.
JOIN THE COMMITTEE: If you are interested in joining the Committee, please fill out a Committee Request form: https://www.indigenouspeoplesdayrocny.org/join
VOLUNTEER: If you are interested in volunteering, please email us at [email protected] subject line: Volunteer Request
This program is also listed on our Events & Meetings calendar. Click here to go to the official UMNA Events Calendar.
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