Celebrating Native American Traditions Past and Present Arts Programs at the Laurens County Museum

Demonstrations of Native American arts including traditional instruments, basketry, music, songs, storytelling, and the Cherokee language will highlight the day at the Laurens County Museum on Saturday, March 16, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM.  This exciting event, the “Celebrating Native American Traditions Past and Present” arts program, will be hosted by the museum in cooperation with the PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation of SC in Gray Court through a SC Arts Commission Folkart and Traditional Arts grant.  Attendance is free and open to the public.

Dr. Laura Green, Folklife and Traditional Arts Director of the SC Arts Commission, noted of the events, “This historic collaboration between the Laurens County Museum and the Piedmont American Indian Association-Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation of South Carolina (PAIA) is mutually beneficial to all. The Laurens County Museum is making a living connection between its extensive Native American collections and the county’s contemporary Cherokee community, while supporting the preservation and presentation of vibrant cultural traditions. …..Visitors will enjoy the chance to learn firsthand about the local Native American heritage in their midst. The South Carolina Arts Commission is pleased to provide support for this exciting slate of programs through a Folklife & Traditional Arts Project Grant. Folk and traditional arts uniquely embody important knowledge and practices that are at the heart of a cultural community’s identity and way of being in the world.”

The 2024 portion of the “Celebrating Native American Traditions Past and Present” on March 16 will include the following performances and demonstrations.  The Native American artists and performers coming to Laurens are from around South Carolina and are all well known for excellence in their crafts.

The Laurens County Museum will be filled with wonderful music and arts at the times listed below on March 16.

10:00 AM – “Ecology and the Native Way of Life” with flute playing by Daniel Garvin

11:45 AM – Cherokee Storytelling with Nancy Basket

1:30 PM – Drumming, Singing, Flute Playing by Keepers of the Word

2:45 PM – Cherokee Language by Blackhawk;  Cherokee Songs with Shelly Shafer

Other programs in the “Celebrating Native American Traditions Past and Present” series occurred in October 2023.  Field trips for Laurens County fourth graders to the PAIA Lower Eastern Nation Tribal Grounds of SC in Gray Court, SC, will occur on March 6 and 20, 2024.

These events highlighting traditional Native American art, crafts, and traditions are made possible by a grant from the SC Arts Commission.  All programs and workshops are free and open to the public.  For more information, call the Laurens County Museum at (864) 681-3678, or go to www.Laurenscountymuseum.org.  The Laurens County Museum is located at 116 South Public Square, Laurens, SC 29360. Museum hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.