North Carolina Museum of History held its 20th annual American Indian Heritage Celebration this Saturday with eight North Carolina native tribes gathering together to celebrate their nation and share their culture with attendants.
The event was a celebration between tribes, generations and also between natives and non-natives. Dressed in traditional costumes, warriors, dancers and other tribal members from all across the state celebrated their culture, heritage and pride.
“It is not that often that we all eight tribes come together in celebration of one nation,” said Sylvia Caudill, a member of the Meherrin Nation. “Being part of this nation is something we are really proud of.”
Jacob Jacobs, a a junior studying chemical engineering and also a native from the Coharie Tribe, described the celebration as very welcoming and said the gathering of tribes from across the state made it feel like they brought home downtown.
“For me it’s like seeing the culture being revived, being shared with other people,” Jacobs said. “There is not a big Native presence in Raleigh; seeing people from back home, people from the other tribal communities, it’s like the feeling when you’ve been away from home for so long, you feel like come back home, you feel welcome. It makes you feel better, just makes you feel rejuvenated being around your people.”
Brittany Hunt, assistant director of Native American Student Affairs in Multicultural Student Affairs and member of the Lumbee Tribe, said, “Seeing the different styles of dance, being able to have communion with people from all across the state, from your own tribe as well as from different tribes, I think that for holistic well-being it is very important.”
About noon, the eight state-recognized tribal communities lined up one tribe behind another and marched in harmony to the rhythm of drums to the arena that was blessed earlier in the morning. Referred to as the Grand Entry, this part of the celebration consisted of honoring each tribe one by one, thanking the veterans and handing a copy of the 2015 Indian Heritage Month Proclamation over to each chief.
This proclamation, signed by Gov. Pat McCrory, stands as a sign of recognition for the American Indian population of North Carolina, according to Emily Grant, youth programs coordinator at the Museum of History, who has been in charge of the event since its creation.
“It is important to acknowledge them on a legal, federal and official level,” Grant said.
Jacobs pointed out the evolution in Native American culture acceptance through the years by comparing his grandparents’ time to today.
“My grandparents tell me stories all the time about how they were suppressed and how people didn’t want them to celebrate their culture,” Jacobs said.
For him, this celebration has a strong symbolic value.
“Being able to be here at the State Capitol and celebrate in front of other people I’ve never seen before, you can see how far things have come, and it makes me appreciate it a lot more knowing how things were back then for my grandparents, my parents.”
Hunt explained the significance of the elders in the native community.
“There is such a heavy emphasis in our culture on elders and the importance of elders, so being able to see them, interact with them and learn from them is really important,” Hunt said.
Grant also reminded everyone that celebrating Native American heritage aligns with one of the core missions of the North Carolina Museum of History, since Native Americans are an essential base of United States’ history.
“It is our mission as the Museum of History to preserve our past and enrich our future, remember and understand where we come from,” Grant said. “They were here before us and are still very vibrant.”
This style of dance is called Pow Wow style dancing. It is shared from tribe to tribe. It is also called the grass dance as it originates where the buffalo grass grows. The feathers on their heads represent the antlers on the grass hoppers in the grass. This dance is part of 20th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration that took place in downtown Raleigh at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History on Saturday, Nov 21.
