Hiawatha Story Told by Puppets at St. Regis Rec.

On Friday, a puppet show was held at the St. Regis Recreation hall. The show, about Hiawatha as a young man before he follows a vision quest, was told using puppets by Catskill Puppet Theatre out of Oneonta, New York. John Potocnik and John Ryan performed the show for the crowd of families gathered.

There was food and snacks for all those who came, as well as activities for the young ones like coloring pages and crayons alongside the big bowls of snacks.

In the one act play, Hiawatha is portrayed as boy who, against the advice of his grandmother, seeks a vision quest alone in the woods. Spirits and animals help to tell him the path, and they tell him about a hidden enemy. The hidden enemy is representative of the doubt that Hiawatha must overcome to fulfil his destiny. From there he meets the Peacemaker, who teaches him an important lesson.

This was not the first time that Catskill Puppet Theatre came to Akwesasne, having performed many shows here before. Leona Barnes invited the puppet storytellers to come and entertain the community. John Potocnik, speaking about coming to Akwesasne said, “I am very excited to do Hiawatha here for the Mohawks, and I am really pleased to be invited and honored to be invited.”

Catskill Puppet Theatre performs a number of plays besides Hiawatha, each receiving accolades. For more information, visit http://catskillpuppettheater.com or email at [email protected]