LAFAYETTE, La. – The community is invited to enjoy the last culture day of the year at Vermilionville Living Museum & Folklife Park Saturday, November 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for Native American Culture Day.
Representatives from many of Louisiana’s Native American tribes and tribal communities will be throughout the village sharing their living culture through crafts, music, dance, storytelling and other cultural exchange.
Admission is free for this event.
This year’s activities will include traditional Native American dancing, dance lessons, drumming performed by various groups as well as demonstrations. Demonstrations will include beadwork, weaving, basket making, tomahawk throwing, flint knapping and more. Kids can enjoy an arts & crafts station that coincides with the theme of the day. Weather permitting, participants will have the opportunity to partake in water recreation such as canoeing in the Petit Bayou and boat tours along the Vermilion River.
Tulane University & Pointe au Chien will also present ‘An Indigenous Curriculum: Changing the Narrative of Colonial Louisiana History for Elementary School Social Studies.’ In an effort to enhance the educational aspect an exhibit entitled “Louisiana’s Indigenous People” will be on display in the Visitor Center’s Conference Room until December.
10:00 a.m.- 4:00pm: Native American Tribal Demonstrations/Presentations throughout the village
10:30 a.m. – Opening and blessing the Common Ground (Atakapas Ishak)
10:45 a.m. – Gourd Dance led by the Avogel Tribe (Gourd dancers welcome to participate)
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Arts/Crafts and Canoeing (Chapel)
11:00 a.m. – Drumming by the Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi Chitimacha Choctaw
11:30 a.m. – Dance Lessons by the Louisiana Attakapas Opelousas Prairie Tribe
12:00 p.m. – Seven Directions Ceremony by the Acadian Mi’kmaq (Metis) Heritage Association
12:30 p.m. – ‘An Indigenous Curriculum: Changing the Narrative of Colonial Louisiana History for
Elementary School Social Studies’ Tulane University Students/Pointe au Chien (Performance Center)
1:30 p.m. – Dance Lessons by the Canneci N’de Band of Lipan Apache
2:00 p.m. – Dancing by the Louisiana Attakapas Opelousas Prairie Tribe
2:30 p.m. – “Mi’kmaq Sacred Teaching” by the Acadian Mi’kmaq (Metis) Heritage Association
3:00 p.m. – Drumming by the Louisiana Attakapas Opelousas Prairie Tribe
3:30 p.m. – Dancing by the Canneci N’de Band of Lipan Apache
Tribes participating are:
- Avogel Tribe of Louisiana
- Pointe Au-Chien
- Coushatta
- Acadian Mi’kmaq (Metis) Heritage Association
- Chitimacha
- Canneci N’de Band of Lipan Apache
- Attakapas Opelousas Prairie
- Isle de Jean Charles Band
- Atakapa Ishak
- Louisiana Attakapas Eagle Tribe
