Week Five: Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Intergenerational Healing

Hello everyone! During my fifth week with Machik, I had the opportunity to attend the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an annual festival held on the National Mall. The Folklife Festival offers numerous free performances, workshops, and narrative sessions, centering around a different theme each year. For example, in the year 2000, it was "Tibetan Culture Beyond the Land of Snows!" While this year was not so Tibet-centered, it was nonetheless very relevant to Machik's work, with the theme being "Youth and the Future of Culture." Its exploration of youth and teen culture and how we can better understand each other across generational divides is closely related to Machik Weekend's theme of Intergenerational Healing this year. As a result, we attended as a team and had the chance to go to some wonderful panels that provided inspiration and guidance for future Machik events.

The first event we attended was a poetry reading by four National Youth Poet Laureates, hosted at the Wordsmith Cafe. It was great getting to hear the diverse range of topics the poet laureates chose, and each of them had their own engaging style of speaking. It was also inspiring in general to see young people so dedicated to their craft. A huge part of Machik's mission is empowering Tibetan youth, because they are the ones who are going to inherit the future of Tibet. This session was a reminder that all young people, whether in Tibet or elsewhere, are in a position to carry on traditions, culture, and creativity from one generation to the next. It's merely a question of whether or not they will be uplifted, supported, and given a platform to do so. The Folklife Festival is a great example of providing that for young creatives in the US, and hopefully Machik will continue to be able to do so for the youth of Tibet.

Other events we attended included a screening of various short films by emerging filmmakers in Baltimore, a cross-generational dialogue session about "third culture" kids, and a session on native language reclamation. The last session was particularly meaningful because much like the Indigenous groups that have seen their pools of native speakers dwindle, the fight for language preservation has been an ongoing struggle for Tibetans. The Folklife Festival specifically highlighted speakers from the Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, Hawaiian, Kanienʼkehá:ka, and Myaamia language groups. The language preservation efforts described by the speakers ranged from language-only immersion schools and programs to cultural practices, such as dancing, that facilitated use of the language. One speaker of Alutiiq described how language preservation had an intergenerational effect as well, allowing elders to not just speak with younger members of the community but also share jokes and stories. This resonated deeply with Machik's theme of intergenerational healing, and also showcases how important it is that native languages be preserved and celebrated. Coincidentally, in Fall 2026 the Ocean of Wisdom School will be opening in Minneapolis as the first school in the US to offer Tibetan language instruction five days a week. This is an important step forward for Tibetan language in the West, but it is also important that bilingual and Tibetan-only schools in Tibet be supported as well. 

Finally, we also had the chance to attend a workshop about the importance of storytelling as a tool for health and healing. Along with all of the panels we attended, we also had a great time experiencing everything else the festival had to offer, such as live music, cooking demonstrations, and zine-making (inside the rarely-open Smithsonian Arts + Industries building). I had a great time at the Folklife Festival, and the insights it offered will be a great benefit as we prepare for Machik Weekend. 

Because the Folklife Festival is free and open to the public, it's a great reminder of how much access there is to art, culture, and history in D.C. I'm grateful to have had the chance to go and take advantage of these resources, and I would encourage anyone who has the chance to do the same. For now, I'm looking forward to where else my work with Machik will take me. See you next week!