Moundville Native American Festival Returns Next Month After Extended Hiatus

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Moundville Native American Festival is set to return next month for the first time since 2019, bringing nationally-acclaimed artists, craftsmen and educators to the area.

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The annual festival is set for Oct. 12-15 at The University of Alabama's Moundville Archaeological Park in Hale County. The festival has been on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Patch previously reported, with the festival going virtual in 2020. Issues with participation also resulted in a hiatus from the in-person festival until this year.

Native American performers will include Lyndon Alec, who will perform hoop dancing, along with the group Chikasha Hithla, who will be demonstrating Chickasaw stomp dancing.

“The festival is one the largest events that brings people to the park every year,” UA Moundville Archaeological Park Director Clay Nelson. “And while virtual events can help educate about Moundville, nothing can compare to experiencing the site in-person. We can describe the earthen mounds as much as we want but seeing them in person really helps illustrate what great engineering feats the Indigenous peoples of Alabama were doing in the 13th century.”

Nelson said living history presenters will also reenact how different Native American tribes lived and thrived over the years, with demonstrations on cooking, dressmaking, tools and weapons.

There will be a children’s area that will include numerous crafts, activities and other educational opportunities. The Jones Archaeological Museum, gift shop and café will also be open throughout the festival.

Attendees will also be able to purchase items and food from vendors of quality Native American crafts, as well as traditional festival concessions.

“We can learn from the past inhabitants of Alabama about how the environment was used, how people interacted with one another and what can be appreciated about the areas around us,” Nelson said. “It’s important to learn about Moundville and then remind people that Native Americans are still around. They did not disappear ... At the Moundville Native American Festival, we celebrate, not just the past, but the present with our many demonstrators and Native American participants, showing a real connection between the past and the present.”

WHAT TO KNOW

Festival hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Admission: $10 per person, while children 5 years old and under are free. Group rates of $8 per person are also available for those who pre-register in groups of 10 or more.

Location: 634 Mound State Parkway, Moundville, AL 35474

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