Event honors southeastern Indian tribes
Thursday, 11 September 2008

Festival features dance, primitive skills, storytelling, arts and crafts

The Warriors of AniKituhwa are the official ambassadors for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and are internationally recognized for their interpretive dance and red body paint as they personify the ancient Cherokee culture.
CHEROKEE, N.C. - On Sept. 19 and 20, the third annual Southeastern Tribes Cultural Arts celebration will bring together master dancers, craftsmen, artists and athletes from the five main southeastern tribes —Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole and Choctaw.

This educational and entertaining event teaches and perpetuates the history and culture of these tribes through live demonstrations of traditional tribal dance, storytelling performances, craft demonstrations, primitive skills encampment and juried competitions.

Encampment demonstrators Jimmy Sanders and Diamond Brown will set up living history exhibitions and illustrate primitive survival skills used by tribes in the 1700s and 1800s, such as building bark huts, cooking, firemaking, flintknapping and carving arrowheads.

Dancers from each tribe will explain the history and significance of each dance prior to exhibiting performances of Stealing Partners and the Bear and Quail dance, among others. The Stomp dance, a strong traditional dance of southeastern tribes, will be performed by the Standing Pine Social Dancers and their entire community. The Warriors of AniKituhwa will perform age-old dances that have been resurrected using wax cylinder recordings – including the Cherokee War, Buffalo and Ant dances.

Pictured is Sonny Ledford.
More than 50 artists and craftsmen will be on hand displaying their indigenous talents. Master craftsmen from each tribe will provide live demonstrations of rivercane basket weaving, finger weaving with beads, mask making, stone and wood carving and stamped pottery. Artists will exhibit their works and participate in a juried art competition. Archery, blowgun and running contests will test the prowess of the best athletes and competitors from each tribe as they compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes. Other special events include Cherokee Stickball demonstrations and the launch of the children’s book “Origins of the Milky Way.”

The original idea for the event was conceived by John Standingdeer, J.R., who envisioned a special sort of “homecoming for southeastern native peoples” where tribes would come together to keep their traditions alive. During this two-day event, visitors will have a unique opportunity to truly experience firsthand the language, history, talents and culture of Indians from the main Southeastern tribes. This event is sponsored by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Open daily on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for arts and crafts demonstrations and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Friday, school groups are invited for group museum tours and festival activities at a special discounted rates. Events on Saturday include: a special book signing event and storytelling at 2 p.m., Cherokee Stickball demonstration at 5 p.m. by Wolf Town Stickball Team led by Bill Reed and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. special traditional dance performances. Adult admission is $10; children six to twelve are $6; children under six are admitted free. School groups get discounted rates. Call (828)497-3481 for details. The Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds are located at 745 Tsali Blvd., off U.S. 441 in Cherokee.

Cherokee, N.C., is the 2006 Travel Attraction of the Year as named by the Southeast Tourism Society. Cherokee’s cultural attractions include the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, interpreting the tribe’s history in the Southern Appalachian Mountains; “Unto These Hills” Outdoor Drama, the story of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians staged each summer in the open-air Mountainside Theatre; Oconaluftee Indian Village, a living representation of a 1700s Cherokee village; and the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc., showcasing traditional and contemporary crafts and fine art by Eastern Band members.

For more information about Cherokee and for Discount ticket packages and hotel accommodations, visit http://www.cherokee-nc.com/ or call (800)438-1601.