On Sept. 20-21, ETSU held its annual Native American Festival in the quad, providing the community the opportunity to learn about a different culture.
This is the fifth year that the festival has returned to campus to encourage students to both learn and celebrate Native American heritage and traditions. According to a press release about the event, the festival has a primary focus on Cherokee heritage.
Leading up to the quad, festival guests were greeted by multiple booths that showcased different parts of Native American culture, such as arts and crafts like wood carving and basket weaving.
The festival also showcased various types of dances that are important to the culture, such as the Northern Traditional and Southern Straight dances, which are dances that recount stories of hunting or war parties searching for the enemy.
This was ETSU sophomore Kendall Vincent’s second year attending the festival.
“I think the festival is a great way to get us [students] interested in a culture that’s been local to our area for centuries,” said Vincent. “It’s really cool to see the different aspects of the culture, especially the different types of dances and music.”
To learn more about the annual Native American Festival or other cultural events happening on campus, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs or visit their website at https://www.etsu.edu/students/multcult/.
