Source: Vindy.com
http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/jun/21/group-marks-summer-solstice/?newswatch
Some members of a local church are rediscovering their American Indian heritage, and others are learning about it for the first time.
To kick off the summer solstice, which is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, members of the Unity Church Centre in Girard organized a two-day American Indian cultural celebration that ran Friday evening and all day Saturday at the church on Naylor-Lloyd Road.
Jack Nichols, co-organizer and church member, said the program began to take shape about three years ago during a film festival that focused on American Indian traditions.
He said one of those traditions is recognizing the summer solstice.
“The summer solstice is an important time in the year for Native Americans, with the sun coming to the highest point in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said. “The sun plays an important role in their lives.”