Indigenous Direction is a consulting firm that aids companies and artists who wish to create accurate work with, about and for Indigenous Peoples. The firm, co-founded by Larissa FastHorse and Ty Defoe, is committed to cultural protocols and ways of looking at the world that have existed on North America for centuries.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Indigenous Direction made their Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 2020, collaborating with Macy's to present the first-ever land acknowledgement featured in the procession. The land acknowledgement consisted of a Wampanog blessing and a traditional rattle song, featuring Indigenous Ambassadors from the Northeast region. The presentation acknowledged the Lenape territory of Manahatta (Manhattan) where the Parade takes place annually.
The firm would return for the 2021 Macy's Parade, once again featuring a Wampanoag blessing and rattle song and dance to honor the Wampanoag and Lenape people. Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal elders Carolyn Wynne and Siobhan Brown acknowledged territory while the Wampanoag Nation Singers & Dancers performed a song known to the tribe as the Calumet, which connects the four directions and honors all relations.