TUSCUMBIA — A celebration of the culture and traditions of American Indians who once lived in north Alabama, returns for two days of education and fun.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Oka Kapassa: Return to Coldwater Festival is set for Sept. 9-10. Activities will take place in and around Spring Park in downtown Tuscumbia.
Oka Kapassa: Return to Coldwater is a free event featuring Native American heritage, entertainment and education through hands-on activities and demonstrations.
Sept. 9 is “School Day” at the festival. Approximately 1,000 students, from as far away as Walker County in Alabama and southern Middle Tennessee, will attend.
Later in the day, the Tuscumbia Roundhouse will hold a cultural history event presented by LaDonna Brown of the Chickasaw Nation.
It will be followed by a presentation of Tuscumbia history related to Native Americans, and a trolley tour of the Tuscumbia witness sites of the Indian Removal Period.
Festival-goers should their bring lawn chairs. Concessions will be available.
On Sept. 10, festivities get underway at 9 a.m. with grand entry at 10 a.m.
Special crafts, fancy and traditional dance demonstrations, storytelling and music are on the agenda with authentic Native American artwork and crafts available for purchase.
Native American cooks will prepare foods handed down by their ancestors.
Juanita Gardinski and her brother Billy Thompson of the Choctaw Nation will serve foods such as buffalo stew and burgers, fry bread, Indian tacos, fish and roasted corn. Gardinski will also demonstrate bead work and share Choctaw culture.
Gina Brown will travel from Ada, Okla., her Chickasaw tribal homeland, to cook traditional pashofa, a stew combining pork and cracked corn. Pashofa is cooked in a cast iron pot over an open fire, and left unseasoned so people can season to their own taste.
Mary Newman, an Eastern Cherokee, will demonstrate cooking of the 1800s by preparing foods in cast iron and clay pots over a campfire.
Another popular Native American artisan attending is shell carver Dan Townsend. Working almost exclusively in shell, Townsend replicates designs found on many Native American sites from the Mississippian period, which encompass the years 1000 to 1600.
The Coldwater Stagecoach Stop and living history log cabin at 301 S. Dickson Street will also be open. The festivities end at 6 p.m.
Admission is free. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets.
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