Moundville Native American Festival American Festival Set for Oct. 4-7

The Moundville Native American Festival, set for Oct. 4-7 at the Moundville Archaeological Park, will host hundreds of Native Americans, many of whom are descendants of those who traveled the Trail of Tears.

These artisans, dancers, musicians and storytellers return to the park, a unit of The University of Alabama, to share their knowledge and traditions with more than 12,000 festival visitors annually.

The theme of this year’s festival is “Returning the Fire: A Native Homecoming.” Fire, a formidable weapon as well as a tool used for heating, lighting, cooking and manufacturing, was a sacred entity, cardinal to the belief systems and religious practices of many Southeastern Indian groups who nurtured sacred fires in their temples’ never allowing them to burn out.

It was considered both a gift from the creator and a messenger and was believed to absorb people’s unclean thoughts and acts. So, Southeastern Native Americans rekindled and purified the sacred fire at least once a year.

The arrival of Euro-American settlers to the Southeastern United States in the early 19th century initiated conflicts concerning land, which the United States government settled by reassigning the Native Americans to Oklahoma, a traumatic journey known as the “Trail of Tears.”

Many tribes carried live coals from their sacred fires, carefully nurturing and replenishing them throughout the exodus some sacred fires are still burning to this day. Through this special homecoming at Moundville, Southeastern Native Americans symbolically bring back home a piece of the fire.

Moundville Archaeological Park is open to from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily; buildings are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children. During the festival, admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children and groups of 10 or more with reservations.