Join the Abbe Museum on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, October 12, 2026, for a special day of programming centered on the theme “Water is Life.” Enjoy pay-what-you-can admission and explore stories, art, history, and performance that honor the enduring relationships between Wabanaki peoples and the waters that sustain life.

For Wabanaki peoples, water is more than a resource—it is a sacred, living relative, essential to cultural, spiritual, environmental, and physical well-being. Throughout the day, we’ll celebrate these relationships through music, storytelling, theater, history, and hands-on art activities.

Special Guests

Experience a special appearance by Grammy Award-winning artist Ty Defoe (Ojibwe + Oneida), who will perform excerpts from Skeleton Canoe, their acclaimed theater and puppetry piece. Ty will be joined by storyteller Minquansis Sapiel (Passamaquoddy).   

Honoring a Historic Canoe Journey

As the country marks its 250th anniversary, the Abbe Museum will also highlight a historic journey made by Penobscot Chief Joseph Orono, who traveled by canoe to lay the groundwork for what would become the 1776 Treaty of Watertown with the Americans. Discover this history through video, art, and activities inspired by the journey and the waterways that connected communities, carried people and stories, and continue to hold deep meaning today.

Come learn, listen, participate in hands-on activities, and celebrate with us as we honor water as life, relative, and connection.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day • October 12, 2026 • Abbe Museum • Pay What You Can Admission

In partnership with Smithsonian Folklife’s Of the People: The Smithsonian Festival of Festivals. Sponsored by New England Foundation for the Arts.