Annual Meeting & Festival Sept. 27 - Oct. 5

This article appeared in the August 2019 edition of the Chickasaw Times

A time of reunion, fellowship and cultural renewal, the Chickasaw Nation Annual Meeting and Festival is set for Sept. 27 through Oct. 5.

This year marks the 59th Annual Meeting and 31st Chickasaw Festival. Chickasaws from across America attend the week-long event, which is highlighted by Governor Bill Anoatubby’s “State of the Nation” address.

Chickasaws have congregated annually for fellowship and celebration of Chickasaw culture, customs, heritage, history and tradition since an informal 1960 gathering at Seeley Chapel, a rural church in Johnston County.

The week features the coronation of tribal princesses, stickball, fun runs, archery, horse shoes, senior and junior Olympics, golf tournament, coed slow-pitch softball and artists of Southeastern tribes displaying their wares at the Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM).

Venues in the Tishomingo, Ada, and Sulphur areas will host activities throughout the week, beginning with stickball competition, a stomp dance and a Traditional Cornstalk Shoot at Kullihoma.

Several activities are planned in Tishomingo, including a one-mile fun walk and 5K run, co-ed softball tournament, a golf tournament, museum tours, Junior Olympics and a stickball tournament.

Three young ladies will be crowned Chickasaw Princess, Chickasaw Junior Princess and Little Miss Chickasaw during the Chickasaw Princess Pageant at Ada High School Cougar Activity Center. New princesses will serve the remainder of 2019 and into autumn 2020 as ambassadors of the Chickasaw Nation at events around the state and across the nation.

Chickasaw Cultural Evening will include artists, Chickasaw Press authors, a traditional meal of pashofa, grape dumplings, pork and fry bread at the Chickasaw Cultural Center, Sulphur, the world-class facility dedicated to educating and celebrating the history, beliefs and traditions of the Chickasaw.

Chickasaw Nation Arts and Culture Awards, hosted on the Cultural Center campus, will honor the Silver Feather Award recipient and name the Dynamic Chickasaw Woman of the Year.

The hub of activity is the Chickasaw Nation Historic Capitol, in Tishomingo, where school children are invited to join the fun by learning to play stickball, trying their hand at archery, touring historic Chickasaw Nation buildings, stomp dancing and learning techniques in ancient arts and crafts during the week.

The Southeastern Art Show and Market (SEASAM) takes place at the historic capitol grounds in Tishomingo. The show is open to all artists of Southeast and Woodlands tribes.

Other events include the traditional Saturday parade through Tishomingo, arts and crafts vendors, cultural demonstrations, food booths, a health fair, horseshoe tournament, children’s activities, entertainment, a parent/child fishing tournament, storytelling, and stomp dance and stickball demonstrations.

A complete listing of events, locations and schedules is available online at AnnualMeeting.Chickasaw.net. The event schedule is subject to change. Please visit often for the latest event updates.

Follow Chickasaw Nation social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates.

For more information call (580) 371-2040 or 1 (800) 593-3356.