The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian Announces ‘Mother Earth’ in the Spirit of the Live Earth Concerts July 7

WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian announced that it will host a special concert event called “Mother Earth” Saturday, July 7, with musical performances and speakers from the scientific and American Indian cultural communities in the spirit of the Live Earth message. Live Earth is a 24-hour, seven-continent concert series that will bring together more than 100 music artists to raise awareness about climate change. As part of this environmental message, the museum will make the broadcast of Mother Earth available to Live Earth.

“There is no more important matter before us than the question of how to live sustainably on the Earth,” said Tim Johnson (Mohawk), acting director of the museum. “As an institution of living cultures, the National Museum of the American Indian is committed to elevating human understanding of global climate change through education and cultural performances.”

The concert is free and open to the public. It will take place on the museum’s Welcome Plaza at 4th Street and Independence Avenue SW, facing the U.S. Capitol. Mother Earth will begin with an opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. immediately followed by the concert’s first act, Blues Nation, an Oklahoma- based rhythm and blues band. Native American rock, funk, punk, reggae, gospel and Andean music; films; and guest speakers will fill out the day ending with a finale by Blues Nation at 9:30 p.m.

   Schedule of Events:    10:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony and Welcome with Blues Nation. Remarks by              guest speakers:              Henrietta Mann, Ph.D. (Cheyenne and member of the Cheyenne and              Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma), professor emeritus and special              assistant to the president of Montana State University in              Bozeman, Mont.; Katsi Cook (Akwesasne Mohawk Nation),              traditional midwife and founding director of the First              Environment Project, a social-justice program with field              operations in N.Y. and Washington, D.C.    11:30 a.m. Native Roots, reggae band from Albuquerque, N.M.    12:15 p.m. Remarks by guest speakers: Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D., professor at              Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan. and co-              director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center;              Henrietta Mann; and Katsi Cook    12:30 p.m. Yarina (Kichua), traditional and contemporary Andean music and              dance from Boston, Mass.    1:30 p.m.  Film: “The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy.” Rasmuson Theater              (Note: During the film there will be no performances on the              Welcome Plaza stage.)    3 p.m.     Trail of Tears discussion with Chad Smith, Principal Chief of              the Cherokee Nation of Okla., Rasmuson Theater    3:45 p.m.  The Plateros (Dine), rock-tinged gospel from Canoncito, N.M.    4:30 p.m.  The Breaking Wind, rock, funk, and blues from Canada’s Six              Nations Reserve in Ontario    5:15 p.m.  Remarks by guest speakers: Nancy G. Maynard, Ph.D., senior              research scientist in the Cryospheric Sciences Branch at NASA              Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and manager of              NASA’s Tribal College and University Project; and Anthony D.              Socci, Ph.D., senior science and communication fellow in the              Atmospheric Policy Program at the American Meteorological              Society in Washington, D.C.    5:30 p.m.  Blues Nation, original and standard blues from Okla.    6:30 p.m.  The Reddmen, punk rock band from Rapid City, S.D.    7:15 p.m.  Native Roots    8 p.m.     Yarina    8:45 p.m.  The Reddmen    9:30 p.m.  Closing remarks by Henrietta Mann and Katsi Cook. Musical              finale with Blues Nation and friends.   

The schedule is subject to change. For updates, visit the Museum’s Web site at http://www.americanindian.si.edu/motherearth/.

The broadcast portion of Mother Earth is being produced by Herring Media Group, Inc. of Connecticut, (HMG). HMG Chairman and CEO Marc Herring, said, “It is an honor and privilege to work with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and to collaborate with Live Earth to present this important program and to celebrate a new era of ecology awareness.”

Established in 1989, through an Act of Congress, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an institution of living cultures dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of the life, languages, literature, history and arts of the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere. The museum includes the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall; the George Gustav Heye Center, a permanent museum in lower Manhattan; and the Cultural Resources Center, a research and collections facility in Suitland, Md.

Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

CONTACT: Eileen Maxwell, +1-202-633-6615, maxwelle@si.edu, Amy Drapeau,+1-202-633-6614, drapeaua@si.edu, Leonda Levchuk, +1-202-633-6613,levchukl@si.edu, all of the Smithsonian Institution