Little kids crowded the miniature basket-making demonstrations in the Druker Family Pavilion. The Shapiro Family Courtyard was filled with adults in a big circle dancing to traditional Indigenous singing. From crafty art-making to vibrant music, every corner of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) was alive with spirit.

Monday, Oct. 13 was the MFA’s seventh annual event celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The museum offered free admission for all Massachusetts residents. A variety of exhibitions were presented throughout the day, including art demonstrations, storytelling, musical performances and guided tours, all exploring Indigenous traditions from Nations like the Massachusett, Wampanoag, Penobscot, and Nipmuc Nations.

Tristan Gacon, a guest visiting from France, said he found the exhibition meaningful because it displayed art in a way that allowed viewers to engage with Indigenous culture.

“I think art tells a lot of stories,” Gacon said. “Whether it’s from painting, music or dancing, it’s about getting culture out there, getting their traditions out there. Just showing them and people seeing them, I think that means a lot.”

Cathy Slay, a visitor from Villa Rica, Georgia, is an avid viewer of Indigenous art. She said she enjoyed the Indigenous art exhibitions in the MFA, especially “The Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers” performance. Slay said she believed it reminded people to keep the culture alive.

“I saw one of the dances that they did, which was awesome. It just inspired the resilience of keeping the culture going and how important it is in this day and age that we need to remember our cultures,” Slay said.

Slay also said that exhibitions like this can help people better understand the struggles and complex culture of Indigenous people.

“There’s so much to the cultures. We wouldn’t know about every culture represented here unless we had some input from the actual culture. Things can be forgotten. There are paintings in there that we don’t even know the painter’s name anymore. If we had a culture of people that kept sharing their stuff, their culture with us, we would know more,” Slay said.

Gloria Colon was born in a First Nations community in Canada and is an outreach coordinator of the nonprofit North American Indian Center Of Boston (NAICOB). In the corner of the Shapiro Family Courtyard she was selling her art to raise money to donate to NAICOB. Guests lined up to purchase the handmade, beaded earrings and necklaces. Colon believes art plays a critical role in preserving Indigenous identity.

“It’s really important because we can’t forget where all the art comes from in the beginning,” Colon said. “That’s the identity that we have and we want to keep it alive.”

Colon said she hopes people take away from the story behind her art because there is always significance behind why she makes something the way she does.

“I feel that when I sell anything, I speak the history. I know a lot of people are happy with the history of what I’m doing. I don’t just make something just for making something,” Colon said. “There’s always a reason–how many beads I have, how many colors… that has a meaning. So when I do it and teach other people how to do it, at least they know where it came from.”