Moundville Archaeological Park is celebrating the rich culture of Southeastern Indian traditions with its annual Native American Festival Wednesday through Friday.
“The prehistory and history of Southeastern Indian people helped shape Southern culture,” Betsy Irwin, education outreach coordinator for the festival, said. “Since Moundville is a prehistoric site, we try to touch on ancient culture, historic culture and contemporary culture and how it has evolved over the years. Much of our southern heritage is actually derived from Southeastern Indian people.”
This year, the festival will feature traditional Native American food, including buffalo stew and Indian frybread, music featuring Pura Fe Trio, storytelling, dance and handmade Native American crafts.
“Visitors can put back together a broken pot like archaeologists do, match pottery shard decorations with the tools that made them and learn about how the mounds were built,” Irwin said.
In addition to crafts, there will also be interactive dance performances by the Chickasaw Dance Troupe and the Mystic Wind Choctaw Dancers, who always ask visitors to join in on various dances.
Paula Nelson, musician, history cultural educator and member of the Ani Kituwah tribe, will be at the festival dressed as a woman from the Mississippian Period and will interact with festival visitors through stories and songs.
“I enjoy the dialog, and it challenges me as well,” Nelson said. “It’s wonderful when the participants and the visitors are so engaged with one another on mutual subjects, interests, and their love of history and truth. I always leave with more knowledge stored away to share myself.”
Nelson said the most important thing an attendee can take away from the festival is new cultural knowledge of local Native American traditions.
“I am always impressed by the artisans and their ability to impart the significance of their skills and product to a particular tribal lifeway,” Nelson said. “There are multiple Southeastern tribal representatives present, and I believe that the integration of Native life with Non-Native life and how we influence each other is a definite curiosity and interest as most families have passed down stories that are remembered.”
The festival will be open on weekdays starting Oct. 9 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and on Saturday Oct. 12 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for children and college students with student IDs. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.
“Gaining knowledge of any culture is relevant,” Nelson said. “Humans and how our decisions affect us and the world we live in is always at the root of wanting to know about oneself or others.”
