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Oka Kapassa, a special Native American gathering, is held in Spring Park, Tuscumbia, Alabama to celebrate the culture and traditions of American Indians who once thrived in north Alabama. The tenth annual two-day event will be held on Friday, September 13 and Saturday, September 14, 2013. Friday is a day set aside for school children and is also open to the general public.
You will find the people of Tuscumbia and surrounding cities of Florence, Sheffield, and Muscle Shoals to be a warm and hospitable folk. Creek Indian Chief Chilley McIntosh spoke favorably of the people in Colbert County, stating "As long as our nation remains upon the earth, we will recollect Tuscumbia." Return to Coldwater is an event not only for the reunion of family and friends, but also for tourists who come to enjoy the celebration of native culture still very much alive here in the Tennessee Valley. |
| Oka Kapassa: Return to Coldwater has been designated a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society. |
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Dan Townsend, preeminent Southeastern Indian shell carver, will bring his extraordinary art to Oka Kapassa again this year. Townsend is based in Tallahassee, Florida. His work is in collections throughout the world. He was among a select number of Native American artists invited to display their work at the opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, and he has served as an artist in residence at the Art Institute of Chicago. More about Dan Townsend and his art can be found at http://shellcarver.com. |
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| A member of the Western Band of Cherokee Indians and recipient of the honor National Treasure, awarded by the Cherokee Nation, Noel Grayson has taught courses sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He will again be present at Oka Kapassa: Return to Coldwater, setting up a Southeastern Indian Hunter's Camp, circa 1700-1800, and demonstrating flintknapping. |
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Marilyn Huey, a Cherokee Indian who lives in Springville, Alabama, demonstrates traditional basketmaking to an attentive observer. |
