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Festival of Native Peoples and Cherokee Indian Art Market

5/14/10 - 5/16/10
Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds
Contact: Cherokee Welcome Center - (800) 438-1601

Voted Top 20 Event by Southeast Tourism Society, 2009! 

  

Art and Dance, Culture and Traditions Collide in Cherokee at Festival of Native People

America Gets Back to its Roots at Most Significant Tribal Festival in the U.S. 

Indigenous tribes from across the Americas gather for the 5th Annual Festival of Native Peoples and Indian Art Market this weekend at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds in Cherokee, N.C. Considered the finest showcase of native dance, song and art in the southeast, the event honors the collective history, customs and wisdom of some of the oldest documented tribes.

Among the dancing, singing, prayers and art exhibited, highlights of the festival include the Halau Palaihiwa O Kaipuwai group's ancient Hawaiian hula and drum dances, once a mainstay of Hawaii's ancient temples. The Totonac pole flyers of Mexico are back and will once again fly from a ninety-foot pole in a spectacle of swirling color in honor of the sun and Totonac calendar. Additional performers include the Inca Son band, playing the centuries-old music of the Peruvian Andes, the Cellicion Traditional Zuni Dancers of New Mexico, Git Hoan Dancers of northern British Columbia, the Apache Crown Dancers of Arizona, as well as the Cherokee Warriors of AniKituhwa and Raven Rock Dancers.

The Festival of Native Peoples will also host the Southeast's largest Indian Art Markets, featuring more than fifty nationally recognized craftspeople and artisans displaying and selling both traditional and contemporary works of art ranging in price from $10 to tens of thousands of dollars. Arts and crafts on display include traditional Cherokee white oak and river cane baskets, black and traditional pottery, wood and stone carvings, paintings, silver and turquoise jewelry and more. Some artists will provide demonstrations of traditional creative techniques passed down by generations of ancestors.

The market will present the work of such esteemed artists as Darrin Bark, John Grant, Jeanean Hornbuckle, Mary James, Nikki Nations, Joel Queen, Bud Smith, and Mattie Welch Wildcat, Shan Goshorn, Ramona Lossie, Lori Reed, Lucille Lossiah, Betty Maney and Louise Goings, to name just a few.

Gates open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with performances throughout the day. Art market opens at 9 a.m. Adult admission $10; children six and under are free. For Discount Ticket Packages or more information, call 800.438.1601.

The Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds is at 745 Tsali Blvd., off U.S. 441 in Cherokee. Sponsored by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation 1008 and Food Lion. Present your Food Lion MVP card and get $2 off.

Click Here for the 2009 Schedule 

Click Below for our Archived Advertisements:

Listen to the 2007 Radio spot.

Watch the 2007 TV spot.

Press Releases
07/01/09 - Honoring History, Heritage and Art at Annual Festival
06/23/08 - Annual Festival of Native Peoples

 

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NOVEMBER

Cruise the Smokies - Fall Cherokee Rod Run: 11/5/10 - 11/7/10

DECEMBER

Cherokee Christmas Parade: 12/12/09
New Year’s Eve Fireworks: 12/31/09

MARCH

Cherokee KOA Fishing Tournament : 3/27/10
Ramp It Up! Festival: 3/27/10

APRIL

Cherokee Survivors Motorcycle Rally: 4/23/10 - 4/25/10

MAY

Week of the Young Child: 5/3/10 - 5/7/10
Cherokee Visitor Appreciation Day: 5/6/10
Cruise the Smokies - Spring Cherokee Rod Run: 5/14/10 - 5/16/10
Festival of Native Peoples and Cherokee Indian Art Market: 5/14/10 - 5/16/10
Cherokee Day of Caring: 5/17/10 - 5/20/10

JUNE

Gourd Festival: 6/3/10 - 6/5/10
Gospel Jubilee Weekend: 6/11/10 - 6/13/10
Summer Carnival: 6/15/10 - 6/19/10
NC State Bluegrass Festival: 6/17/10 - 6/19/10
4th Annual Housing Fair: 6/25/10 - 6/26/10

JULY

July Powwow: 7/2/10 - 7/4/10
July 4th Fireworks: 7/4/10
Dare Motorcycle Run: 7/10/10

AUGUST

9th Annual Talking Trees Children's Trout Derby: 8/7/10
Volkswagen Car Show: 8/13/10 - 8/15/10
August Cherokee Bluegrass Festival: 8/19/10 - 8/21/10

SEPTEMBER

Cherokee Survivors Motorcycle Rally: 9/10/10 - 9/12/10
Southeastern Tribes Cultural Arts Celebration: 9/17/10 - 9/19/10

OCTOBER

98th Annual Cherokee Indian Fair: 10/6/10 - 10/9/10
Big Rigs Antique Truck Show: 10/14/10 - 10/16/10