A Family Affair - The Haliwa-Saponi Way

Arts Across NC

Children and parents learn together at the Haliwa-Saponi Traditional Arts Program for Students (TAPS). Gathering families and intergenerational groups for tribal culture and tradition classes is important in a rural place like Hollister, N.C. where the program is based. We learn why in this new episode of Arts Across NC. The North Carolina Arts Council created TAPS, a statewide network of after school programs, in response to community requests for traditional arts education taught locally, knee-to-knee, and across generations. TAPS is an intergenerational story. It's a story about community and pride in place. It’s a story about the role the N.C. Arts Council plays in helping North Carolinians use their artistic traditions to thrive as individuals and as communities. From pottery to bluegrass to the arts and crafts of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, TAPS programs across the state represent the diversity of North Carolina’s cultural life and heritage. Each program is uniquely shaped by the community, but all share three core values: Programs are affordable, and often free. Students learn the traditional arts of their own region, from teachers within their community. Music is taught by ear, and crafts are taught by hand. Through field recordings and interviews collected by N.C. Arts Council staff, this episode is the first of three in a new season of Arts Across NC that highlights the diverse TAPS programs across the state. This episode featured field recordings from Haliwa-Saponi TAPS class and Pow wows. Learn more about the program at www.ncarts.org. _____ Arts Across NC is a podcast by and about the North Carolina Arts Council. Facebook: @ncarts Twitter: @ncartscouncil Instagram: @ncartscouncil | @ncartsfolklife