New Mosaic at Riverfront Library: "The Legend of the Four Crows"

Yonkers Public Library (YPL) is proud to display the mosaic “The Legend of the Four Crows: A Lenape Prophecy Story” at Riverfront Library. This mosaic is an illustration of the legend of the four crows, one of the Lenape Nation’s creation stories.

The mosaic was created under the direction of YPL Gallery Curator Haifa Bint-Kadi with assistance from assistant curator Aliya Moudud and community members Deborah Dismond, Christoph Sawyer, and Linda Winters. Work on the mosaic begain in October 2023. A bricolage mosaic, it consists of recycled glass, ceramics, and marble.

Haifa Bint-Kadi and community memberscommunity members Deborah Diamond, Christoph Sawyer, and Linda Winters work on the mosaic in the Art Gallery
Haifa Bint-Kadi and community members Deborah Dismond, Christoph Sawyer, and Linda Winters work on the mosaic in the Riverfront Art Gallery.

The mosaic was unveiled to the public on November 18, 2024 in coordination with Native American Heritage Month, following a celebration of Native American Heritage with Tony Moon Hawk Langhorn, a member of the Unkechaug Nation of New York and the Pamunkey Nations of Virginia. 

The artists pose in front of the unveiled mosaic on November 18, 2024.
The artists pose in front of the newly unveiled mosaic on the first floor of Riverfront Library.

The mosaic is an acknowledgment of the Lenape land that Riverfront Library occupies. The mosaic portrays animals that are significant to both the nearby Hudson River ecosystem and Lenape heritage, including the turtle, bear, muskrat, egret, eel, and sturgeon. It was conceived in consultation with Lenape Center in Manhattan, and with Tony Moon Hawk Langhorn.

Jesse Montero,  Marcy "Tree in the Wind" Langhorn, Tony "Moon Hawk" Langhorn, and Haifa Bint-Kadi
YPL Library Director Jesse Montero, Marcy "Tree in the Wind" Langhorn, Tony "Moon Hawk" Langhorn and Haifa Bint-Kadi

Stop by to check out the mosaic whenever Riverfront Library is open. You can learn more about the "Legend of the Four Crows" on Nanticoke and Lenape Confederation Learning Center and Museum's webpage. You can also listen to Tony Moon Hawk Langhorne narrate "The Legend of the Four Crows" here

This mosaic was made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

New York Council on the Arts logo - outline of New York State map

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