First Voices Festival

7 Stages, in collaboration with Turtle Island Trading, Zintkala Zi PowWow and the L5P Business Association, present First Voices Festival Indigenous cultural sharing and celebration.

The festival will offer audiences in the metro Atlanta area, for the first time, an opportunity to engage in music, dance, theatrical performances, food, and Indigenous history, wisdom, and culture through storytelling, outreach, and engagement events. The goal is to provide Indigenous and Native American artists a platform to share their stories, art, and culture while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity to help people better understand how choices today can impact generations to come.

The First Voices Festival includes a daytime festival and PowWow held in an outdoor space in Little Five Points and an evening of performances at 7 Stages. The daytime events include Native American flautists, dancers, drummers, vendors, dialogues, and demonstrations. Traditional elements of the PowWow will be led by an Emcee, Lead Man and Lead Woman, SouthSide Drum group, and includes traditional dances: Men’s Fancy, Women’s Fancy Shawl, Jingle Dress Dance, Tiny Tots and Intertribal Dances. The PowWow will be curated by Tatankala Yellowbird (Buffalo). Buffalo is a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation and he is a seasoned curator. For over five years, he has sponsored and organized PowWows in many locations such as Dickson, Tennessee; Athens, Alabama; and now Atlanta, Georgia.

Following a full day of events, 7 Stages will host an evening of performances on its Mainstage featuring Shelly Morningsong with Fabian Fontenelle. Singer/songwriter and Native American flute player Shelley Morningsong is a seven-time Native American Music Awards winner, including 2019 “Artist of the Year.” She has recorded seven albums of her soulful contemporary compositions and has written theme songs for nonprofits One Nation Walking and Electro-Magnetic Health. Shelley teaches online and conducts workshops at festivals. In performance she is joined by her husband, Fabian Fontenelle (Zuni/Omaha), an original member of the American Indian Dance Theatre. Her latest project is the upcoming children’s book, “She Talks to the Animals”, based on a song by the same name from her award-winning album, “Love Medicine.”

For more information visit shelleymorningsong.com.