FLORENCE-November is Native American Heritage Month, and Florence-Lauderdale Public Library is celebrating by hosting a series of free events for all ages.
The series will kick off with an Indigenous People Storytelling and Sharing Day on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. This free event will feature stories, demonstrations, and educational talks. Later events in the series will include arts and crafts for children, teens, and adults.
Library staff has partnered with Anita Flanagan, a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee tribe, to plan cultural events to engage and educate community members of all ages. “It’s important to have these types of events in this area because Native American culture is our original culture,” said Flanagan. “And so much of our current culture is based on Native American culture. Just look at our county names and street names in the area.”
The Nov. 9 event will begin at 11 a.m. with storytelling by Flanagan. At 12 p.m., Heloha Hickman will perform traditional Grass Dancing, and at 12:30 pm there will be weapon and tool demonstrations. The final event of the day will be a cultural comparison discussion beginning at 1 p.m. Representatives from different Native American tribes will share information about their tribes’ culture and traditions.
Library staff worked with Flanagan and representatives from the Oka Kapassa Festival to develop meaningful events that would be fun while also educating the public.
“We asked Ms. Flanagan if there was a particular topic she’d like for the community to be more aware of,” said Jennifer Butler Keeton, the Programming/Publicity Coordinator at the library. “She told us that many people tend to lump all Native American cultures together, but that the traditions of various tribes are often very different. So we worked together to include a tribal comparison program as part of our Saturday event.”
The next week, the library will host two hands-on programs focused on Native American arts, both taught by Flanagan. On Tuesday, Nov. 12 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., all ages of children are invited to create a simple bead weaving project. Children attending must be accompanied by an adult, and can drop in at any point during the program time to make the craft.
The second event will be a Native American Feather Painting class on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This class is for adults and teens 11 and up, and students will create an original painting, using feathers instead of paintbrushes. For this class, seating is limited and registration is required. Adults and teens interested in signing up can call 256-764-6564, ext. 128.
