Indigenous music, jewelry, art and tasty fry bread made by local singers and dancers was in abundance Saturday at the first Native American Cultural Festival at the Freedom Inn at Ventana Canyon.
Tribes from all over Arizona participated in the event at the senior assisted living community at 5660 N. Kolb Road.
Navajo flutist Jonah Thompson entertained visitors with music, stories and samples of the flutes he makes for sale.
Thompson makes traditional flutes from sunflower stalks, cedar or pine, he said. Depending on the type of wood he uses and the detailing involved, a flute can take from three days to a year to make, he said.
"You just pick it up when you feel like working on it," Thompson said.
Ivan MoonRun Arkadie, a Chiricahua Apache who lives in Green Valley, displayed his handcrafted beadwork, pouches and ceremonial fans made with feathers and rattles.
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Arkadie, who travels to five or six Native American festivals a year, said the fair turned out very well.
Kaye Richardson, who works for the Freedom Inn, said organizers were pleased with the crowd that came to the event.
"We like to have functions here to bring people to see our community," she said.
"People are always interested in Native American culture and art, and we knew our residents and the people in the Foothills area would love it."
