Welcome Thunders, Rains, Birds, and Spring!

The days leading up to the 5th annual RETURN OF THE THUNDERBIRDS community event were unsettled and unsure. The forecast was for rains and storms. And while this is actually a big part of the event - welcoming back the first rains and thunders of the season - when hosting an almost all-outdoor event, it makes for nervous moments for the planning team.

RETURN OF THE THUNDERBIRDS is a cross-cultural community celebration of renewal. The brainchild of Renee Sans Souci, Umoⁿhoⁿ educator and cultural consultant for Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, the event brings people together from across Lincoln and eastern Nebraska at a time significant to many indigenous peoples of the Upper Plains. It is a time to welcome back the Thunder beings and celebrate in ceremony a time of renewal for Mother Earth. It is also a time Audubon (and many others) celebrate the return of migratory birds and the budding and blooming of important native plants. So what better time to invite the community together to learn from and about our Native American partners and their culture while enjoying art, music, dance, food, birds, and more.

The event was held on Saturday, April 11, at the Indian Center, Inc. in Lincoln with 50 vendor booths filled with Native art and food, conservation organizations with nature activities, and community organizations sharing health tips for over 400 friends attending. But the success wasn’t so sure at 8:00 AM that morning, just three hours before the celebration was to start. The much-needed rains had arrived and storms threatened to wash out the event. But, the rains stopped by 9:30 AM, setup began, and by 10:30 (just 30 minutes late) the event kicked off with a blessing from Ioway elder Rita McClure and a welcome from Renee Sans Souci and Audubon’s Jason “the Birdnerd” St. Sauver.

Highlights for many of the attendees were performances by the Many Moccasins Dance Troupe from Winnebago, NE, and the Sangre Azteca dance group from Lincoln; seeing live birds from Raptor Conservation Alliance; and hearing the amazing words from keynote speaker Steve Tamayo of Bluebird Cultural Initiative about the importance of native languages and community connection. There was also delicious food from Onie’s Native American Grill, and the afternoon finished up in style with invigorating music from South America performed by Daniel Martinez and Oscar Rios, a great way to top off five years of celebration with our community and for the birds and our planet.