Autumn Fest

Saturday, October 25, 2025

10 am – 4 pm

14th Annual Autumn Fest

$10 per vehicle

Please join us as we celebrate the history, arts and culture of the O’odham. We will have scholarly talks throughout the day, music, dancers, artists booths, food and more for a fun day at the Amerind.

Scholarly talks throughout the day including David Martinez, PhD (Akimel O’odham/Hia-Ced O’odham/Mexican) He will be speaking at 10:30 am and again at 1:00 pm.

“Our Elder Brother Dwells There: How I’itoi Ki Moved from Mountain Peak to Basket Design.”  

“Learn about I’itoi, Elder Brother, who taught O’odham how to live well in their desert homelands. Learn where his home, his kih, is located, according to oral tradition. Most importantly, learn about how the symbol of this home, I’itoi kih, started appearing in O’odham baskets more than a century ago. What does it all mean?”

Dr. David Martínez is a Professor of American Indian Studies, School of Transborder Studies and Director and Founder, Institute for Transborder Indigenous Nations at Arizona State University.

Scholar Jennifer Juan (Tohono O’odham) will be speaking at 11:45 am and again at 2:15 pm.

“The Power of a Story: Creating an Exhibit from Scratch”

In 2022, community curators from several separate Native communities gathered to create the exhibit series, They Don’t Love You Like I Love You: Indigenous Perspectives on Sovereignty. The stories highlighted in their exhibits were determined by artists, advocates, and historians. Opened in 2023, each exhibit continues further discussions of what it means to be Indigenous in today’s society, told in their own words. Jennifer Juan, Arizona State Museum’s Assistant Director of Community Engagement, will provide an overview of the traveling exhibits shown at Amerind and their creation process, and the insights she learned working alongside these individuals to tell their story.

Amerind Museum has hosted Pascua Yaqui’s Our Strength is Our Song, and is currently exhibiting the Hia-Ced O’odham exhibit, Invisible No More.

 Jennifer Juan serves as Assistant Director of Community Engagement at Arizona State Museum. Working alongside Indigenous community curators, the four-part exhibition They Don’t Love You Like I Love You: Indigenous Perspectives on Sovereignty opened in December 2023 at three separate tribal sites. Community perspectives, place-making, and Native-focused collaborations have been the heart of her career and continues through the multi-vocality work being done in her position at ASM. She holds her BA in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts, and her MA in Museology from the University of Washington.

The Wa:k Tab Dancers from the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation will perform at 10:15- 11:15, get here early to be sure not to miss the beautiful basket dancers!

The Cruz Band will be entertaining us with Waila music throughout the day. The Cruz Band comes from the Tohono O’odham Nation located in Southern Arizona, between Tucson, Casa Grande, Ajo, and the international border of Mexico. The band has been in existence for 14 years and have performed at various places on and off the Tohono O’odham Nation. To hear more of the Cruz Band and Waila music visit their Facebook and YouTube page at Cruz, Tohono O’odham Waila.

Participating artists include:

O’odham Haha’adam Collective – Artists will be demonstrating traditional O’odham pottery making

• Harrison Preston (Wa:k O’odham/Tohono O’odham) pottery, basketry, jewelry
• Kathleen Vance (Tohono O’odham) pottery- (Demonstrating)
• Teresa Choyguha (Tohono O’odham) pottery

James Fendenheim (Tohono O’odham) jewelry

Ryan Moreno Si’al (Tohono O’odham) photography

Eric & Charlatta Greenstone (Dinè) horsehair pottery, jewelry (last year’s People’s Choice Winner)

Matagi Sorensen (Yavapai Apache) jewelry (last year’s People’s Choice Winner)

Roger Sosakete Perkins (Mohawk) pottery, painting & digital art (last year’s People’s Choice Winner)

Veronica & Ernest Benally (Dinè) jewelry

Priscilla Tacheney (Dinè) photography

Michelle Silver (Dinè) clothing

Aaron Freeland (Dinè) monoprints

Randy Kemp (Choctaw/Muscogee Creek/Euchee) paintings, prints, stickers

Raven Kemp (Dinè/Choctaw/Muscogee Creek/Euchee) prints

Beverly Kemp (Dinè) Painting, jewelry

Nanibaa Beck (Dinè) jewelry

Earl Dino Patterson Jr. (Hopi) Katsina Dolls-sculptures, gourd art, gourd earrings

Karlene & Arnold Goodluck (Dinè) jewelry

Leonard Boyd (Spokane) Paintings, alabaster sculpture

Renee Cruz (Tohono O’odham) Basketry, beadwork (Demonstrating basketry)

Nichole Loma (Dinè) Beadwork, jewelry

Rosemarie Ramon (Tohono O’odham) Shell Horsehair, Yucca jewelry

For the 3rd year we will have the People’s Choice Artists award, with a cash prize going to the top 3 winners, so come out and vote for your favorite artist. 2024 winners Eric & Charlatta Greenstone, Roger Perkins and Matagi Sorenson will be in attendance with their incredible work.   We will announce the 2025 People’s Choice Winners at 3:30 pm. Thank you to Amerind donors for making this award possible.

Schedule for the Day:

With food from: Cj’s Navajo Frybread & La Unica Food Truck

2025 Autumn Fest brought to you by the generosity of Sarah & Bill Burk- Thank you for helping Amerind share unforgettable experiences with Indigenous heritage!

Thank you to 2025 Festival Sponsors:

We hope to see you at Autumn Fest!