The Anquoe family, a Kiowa line of renowned drum leaders, set the tone for the National Native American Hall of Fame's new Oklahoma City home with a drum ceremony on Saturday. Their songs and steady hand-drumming carried a full morning of speeches, dancers and elders at the Sundial Mansion, as tribal members and city guests turned out for the public ribbon-cutting.
At the opening
During the Hall's grand-opening program in Oklahoma City, members of the Anquoe family led a traditional hand-drumming circle, according to The Oklahoman. The outlet reports that the organization has been shifting its exhibition activity to Oklahoma City and chose the historic Sundial Mansion as its new headquarters ahead of the ceremony. The event brought together tribal representatives, museum staff and local officials for a program that blended formal remarks with ceremony and song.
Who the Anquoe family are
The Anquoe clan, which sometimes performs as the Redstone Singers, has long served as a steward of Kiowa song and ceremony and frequently opens powwows and cultural tributes, according to Indian Country Today. Family elders have spent decades working to preserve Kiowa songs. The late Jim Anquoe is credited with composing the First Americans Museum ceremonial song that premiered at that museum's opening, as noted in his obituary from Ray & Martha Funeral Home.
A new home for the Hall
The National Native American Hall of Fame describes its mission as elevating contemporary Indigenous achievement through exhibits, education and induction ceremonies, according to the National Native American Hall of Fame. Establishing a physical presence in Oklahoma City links that work to a growing constellation of Native cultural institutions in the city, including the First Americans Museum, a development chronicled by Smithsonian Magazine.
What's next
Organizers say the Sundial Mansion site will host rotating exhibits, educational programming and future induction events designed for both local visitors and touring audiences. The Anquoe family’s drum opening highlighted how ceremony and contemporary curation are expected to sit side by side in the Hall's new Oklahoma City home.
