Red Sox, Giants Celebrate Native American Heritage Nights
This article was written by Joe Leisek - Bill Nowlin
This article was published in Native American Major Leaguers (2025)
The Iron River Singers outside Fenway Park on August 6, 2025. (Bill Nowlin photograph)
FENWAY PARK NATIVE AMERICAN AND AMERICAN INDIAN CELEBRATION
On August 6, 2025, for the second year in a row, the Boston Red Sox welcomed all to what they called “our Native American and American Indian Celebration, where we recognize the resilience and beauty of this diverse and vibrant community.” Just outside the ballpark, seven members of the Iron River Singers, an intertribal group based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, sang and beat drums. Among the members were two father/son pairs.1
Some 24 community members were recognized on the field just prior to the baseball game. Peoples represented included Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, Hassanamiso Nipmuc Band, Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, Holton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaw Nation, Natick Nipmuc, Mashantucket Pequot, Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag, Passamaquoddy Tribe, Penobscot, Wampanoag Tribe of Gray Head Aquinnah, as well as representatives from local university and community programs.
Greeting guests on the field was Jason Notermann, chief engineer for Red Sox Productions and a Chippewa Indian. Shortly afterward, he said, “I’m proud that the Red Sox continue to recognize and celebrate the diverse cultural communities that shape our region. Events like the Native American celebration raise awareness and help amplify voices that haven’t always been heard. These moments are more than single-day acknowledgments, they reflect a growing cultural shift toward sustained advocacy and I look forward to seeing that commitment continue.”2
The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Dance Group performs for Giants fans in front of the main gate at Oracle Park in San Francisco on August 15, 2025. (Joe Leisek)
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE CELEBRATION
On August 15, 2025, the San Francisco Giants hosted their annual Native American Heritage Night at Oracle Park, the team’s home ballpark. The Giants have hosted the celebration since 2005 – with the exception of the 2020 season – to spotlight the rich history, culture, and contributions of Native Americans. The event included pregame cultural performances and a jersey designed by local Native American artist Jesse Hernandez.
Performers included the Nomlaki Weleaq Olkapna, which shared traditional dance and culture with hundreds of fans outside the ballpark’s main gate, and a pregame, on-field performance from the All Nations Singers and Pow Wow Dancers.3
The Nomlaki Weleaq Olkapna are cultural bearers for the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, a tribe based in Corning, California.
“We are grateful to the San Francisco Giants for hosting the Native American Heritage event, a gathering that brings vital awareness that California Native peoples are still here — and have always been here,” said Victor Alvarez, captain of the Nomlaki Weleaq Olkapna and a tribal member of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians.4
“Our culture is resilient and thriving, rooted in one of the most rich and diverse Native communities in the world, California. There is profound beauty in seeing our people come together in unity, reminding us that the strength of our ancestors lives on in every generation.”
The All Nations Singers and Pow Wow Dancers perform on the field before the San Francisco Giants game. (Joe Leisek)
The All Nations Singers are a Northern-style pow wow drum group, founded in Oakland, California, over 30 years ago.
The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Natalie Aguilera, citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and CEO of the Native American Health Center, which serves people in more than a dozen sites in the San Francisco Bay Area.
JOE LEISEK lives in Petaluma, California, with his wife Tracy and Irish setter Liam. Joe is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation.
BILL NOWLIN worked more than 50 years in the recorded music business and is a former college professor of political science. A Boston native and Red Sox fan, he has greatly enjoyed working with SABR members on many books and publications, writing a number of biographies and Games Project accounts.
Notes
1 The group has a presence on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IronRiverSingers/.
2 Jason Nottermann email to Bill Nowlin, August 18, 2025.
3 See https://paskenta-nsn.gov and a video from the August 15 event at Oracle Park on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljIL-xyOCAY.
4 Victor Alvarez text message to Joe Leisek, August 21, 2025.