Youth play the Cherokee Fish Game at the historic Red Clay Anniversary event in 2009. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather)
RED CLAY, Tenn. – The public is invited to join the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Nation (Okla.), and staff of the Red Clay State Park in Tennessee for the inaugural Cherokee Heritage Festival on Aug. 2-3 at the Park. The theme of the event is “Persistence, Resistance and Perseverance: The Formation of the Eastern Band”.
The event will include traditional singing and dancing, Cherokee foods, Cherokee plants and their uses, hikes led by herbalist Darryl Patton, a game of Cherokee Indian Ball, Cherokee artisans, 18th and 19th century historians, storytelling, and much more. Lectures will also take place on the Cherokee removal and the formation of the EBCI. There will also be a temporary exhibit in the visitor’s center focusing on the theme of the festival. Chairperson Terri Henry is scheduled to visit on Saturday, Aug. 2 and Principal Chief Michell Hicks is scheduled to visit on Sunday, Aug. 3.
Info: Red Clay State Park (423) 478-0339 or visit https://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/red-clay
– Red Clay State Park
