Despite a late start due to rain showers on the second day, the St. David's Island Indian Reconnection Festival proved to be a moving experience for all who attended.

Around 500 St. David's Islanders, Bermudians from other parts of the Island and reporters from the US turned out at the St. David's Cricket Club yesterday to witness a momentous occasion in Bermuda's history.

Around 50 members from the New England tribes of Mashantucket, Maspee and Wampanoag arrived on the Island on Friday to share in the weekend of reconnecting experiences.

Both days of the main programme, held on Saturday and Sunday, featured prayers, proclamations, libation pouring and songs and dances by members of the tribes. Yesterday's programme featured a ceremony to honour 14 elders of St. David's over age 80.

Archie Minors, Winston "Pinney" Fogo, Loren "Dickey" Foggo, Christabell Pitcher, Nina Smith, Isabelle Tucker, Philip "Honkey" Lamb, Oleta Minors, Polly Lamb, Charles Fox, Audrey May Pitcher, Ashton "Kilroy" Fox, Dulcie Lamb and Ivy Pitcher were given gifts for their years of contribution, support and sacrifice to their younger charges.

Locals, some decked in feathers and others wearing their reconnection t-shirts, spoke of a spiritual connection they felt when they saw their Native American Indian cousins.

"It's very spiritual. You can actually feel the connection," explained Maxine Welch who is originally from St. David's and is a member of the committee responsible for the event.

Everyone who spoke with The Royal Gazette shared their own connections with some members of a tribe represented at the festival. One lady, wearing a feather in her hair proudly said, "I'm a Pequot" before describing her family tree.

Brent Minors also described his connections with Native American Indians.

"The Minors family are direct descendants of the Pequot Indians. Our great-grandmother was one of the first Indians that came here as a slave in the 1800's."

He said that his grandmother had been one of the first people Everett "Tall Oak" Weeden contacted when he heard about the Native Americans in Bermuda. Tall Oak is the member of the Pequot tribe who made the visit to the Island earlier this year which sparked the festival. However she had died by the time Tall Oak made his first visit.

"It's good that a lot of the other people in the country have come down because they are descendants of the Indian tribes too," Mr. Minors added.

While there were many people from St. David's in the audience, people had come from across the Island and represented all walks of life.

Not claiming any Native American Indian connection, Mark Tannock of Warwick said: "I heard about the event and was interested and thought I'd find out what it was all about. It's a good turn out considering the weather."

Most people were in awe over how much the St. David's Islanders resemble Native American Indians. "One thing about these Indians that are here they can look at you and they can see a connection in your features and everything," said Mr. Minors.

Native North American Indian Tall Oak also expressed how fascinated he was with the physical connections between people from St. David's and his relatives. "Everyone was telling me that I look like this one in their family or that one.

"All the while I'm meeting people that tell me that I look like someone in their family and I'm doing the same thing to them. It's like looking into the faces of all of my relatives at home. It's not just my conception. Other people have said the same thing. That's what's uncanny."

Tall Oak also saluted St. David's Islanders as the descendants of those native American Indians who fought against the "strangers who came from across the waters" (the English colonisers).

"It was the freedom fighters that were sent here. That's the major distinction in the people here and the people that remained at home. Some chose to accept the domination... But those who chose to fight and to die on their fight rather than live on their knees are the ancestors of those who were brought here.

"So we really have to salute the people here."

Many people thought that the most spectacular aspect of the weekend's event was not the festival itself but simply that Bermudians were connecting with their history.

Edith Minors of St. David's said: "I think its great that this happened because people in Bermuda had to know where they came from. They need to know their roots. It has brought a lot of Bermudians together."

Yesterday's programme closed in traditional Bermuda style with the gombeys. An information sharing meeting will take place at the St. David's Cricket Club at 7.30 p.m. tonight.