Cherokee Heritage Meets Iriquois and Shawnee Culture

Hagood Mill Historic Site and Folklore Center is a treasure trove at any time of the year, gang!  If you have a chance to visit you will see artifacts from an authentic working nineteenth century grain mill as well as historical displays and antiques from two hundred years of rural life in the piedmont region of South Carolina.  But our visit happened to coincide with "Native American Heritage Month" and, as we touched on in the last post, the events we were fortunate to observe were really impressive.  I suppose one of the most rewarding things about this experience was the fact that we saw a confluence of multiple cultures and ethnic backgrounds and everyone exhibited their pride in their heritage in the most positive and inclusive manner possible.  It gave us hope for the future and pride in our American brothers and sisters from every walk of life and ethnic heritage.  We also got to have a "flashback" when young folks from the Boy Scouts of America "Order of the Arrow" chapter from the Indian Waters Council put on a dancing demonstration and showed off their skill in preparing real-life Native American regalia. And - I've gotta tell you - those kids were really brave!!!  To put on a Native American dancing demonstration smack in the middle of some of the most highly skilled practitioners of Native American art and dance on the planet was really gutsy and they did a fabulous job!!  But the beauty and raw emotion evoked by the colors, fabrics movements, sounds and smells that permeated the grounds of the historic mill really gave us all a deep appreciation for the talent of this remarkable gathering.  The "Reedy River Intertribal" - the group which sponsors and hosts the Pow Wow reached out to tribes from throughout the United States and we were really lucky to meet representatives from all across North and South Carolina, Arizona, Colorado and other parts of the Northwest.  Their various regalia (notice they do not call them 'costumes' or 'outfits') were subtly but distinctly different and it was fun hearing the differences described. The placement of beads and the types of materials used in making chest-pieces, headgear, moccasins, bracelets, necklaces - and on, and on - illustrated a thoughtfulness, spirituality and philosophical approach that was amazing and quite impressive.  And the people .......

We met some of the warmest and most thoughtful people you could imagine.  It was such a treat seeing our "differences" completely ignored while our "likenesses" were highlighted and we learned from each other in wonderful ways.  Native chants mingled with ancient hymns sung in the Cherokee language and the resonant sounds of Shawnee drums served as a counterpoint to the haunting and beautiful tones of the Native American flutes.  Then there were the dances.  I suppose nothing else we experienced at the Pow Wow had the power to transport us back in time to a point at which life was lived very close to nature and a time when the potential for conflict between tribes and between Native Americans and European Americans like the remarkable dances we saw.  There were many dancers from all across the state and the country but the dancers of the Eastern Shawnee were simply awesome.  Their fierce war-cries, facial expressions and powerful movements served to emphatically underscore the warrior personality.  I have a video of a portion of the dances I will get uploaded so you can share the experience with us. I'm pretty sure you will agree with me that this is a very impressive performance.  And, as fierce as the performers appeared, they were extremely friendly, thoughtful folks and outstanding ambassadors of their tribe to those of us who want to learn more about all of the heritages around us.  I truly enjoyed this experience and wish you all could have been in Pickens to share it with us.  If you have the opportunity, start checking out the internet in November of 2015 to find

out when Selugada VIII will take place.  Then - try to attend if you can.  I know you will have fun and - if you have children - they will be spellbound.  There is so much to see, taste, smell, feel and hear!!  The craft works, food offerings and art are bargains and I'm pretty sure you will get your money's worth at this wonderful festival.  And - you will have a chance to learn more about our Native American brothers and sisters and to share in our common history.

I realize that this post was significantly delayed following the last visit where we began our visit to Hagood Mill but we have had a lot of family activity going on related to some of the things we shared with you last time.  And then along came Christmas!!  This beautiful season is a time for restoration of hope, renewal of our spirits and for remembering the promise of redemption we received more than two thousand years ago.  But - as we have said before, we are not so much interested in what your particular "religious title" is, we are much more concerned about how we treat each other.  I had the good fortune to see a marvelous painting by Normal Rockwell at our wonderful Art Museum recently and I wanted to share it with you as a way of saying "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year", gang.  See ya!