Museum sessions highlighting Native American traditions begin Saturday

Laurens, South Carolina – The Laurens County Museum in Historic Square, Downtown Laurens will host two day-long sessions of “Celebrating Native American Traditions, Past and Present,” which are free to the public these last two Saturdays in October.

Participants can come to part or all of the programs.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, and Saturday, Oct. 28, a partnership between the Laurens County Museum, the South Carolina Arts Commission and the PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation will bring artists, performers and tribal leaders from across South Carolina for programs at the Laurens County Museum at 116 S. Public Square in Laurens.  It serves as a lead-up to November’s Native American Heritage Month.
Harold Hatcher, Chief of the Waccamaw People, whose tribal grounds are in Aynor, South Carolina, will join Chief Dexter Sharp of the Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation near Laurens in lectures beginning at 10 a.m. on Oct. 21.
The South Carolina Arts Commission provided the funding through a Folklife and Traditional Arts Project Grant, said Victoria Norris, a member of the Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation.
As such, the two Saturday programs hosted by the museum are all free, including a Cherokee pottery demonstration by Billy Lightwalker Fulcher at 1:30 this Saturday, followed by a workshop by Pee Dee Tribe beading craftswoman Marcy Hayden.

In the Oct. 28 session, which also begins at 10 a.m., programming includes flute playing and making, basketry, and dream catchers.
Registration is required for all the hands-on workshops
These programs Norris explained that a portion of the South Carolina Arts Commission grant is going toward field trips to the Lower Eastern Cherokee Tribal Grounds in March for District 55 and District 56 elementary students.
Registration for this Saturday’s beading workshop or the Oct. 28 hands-on workshops can be made by contacting the museum at (864)681-3678 or laurensmuseum1@gmail.com.

This story originally ran page 3 of the Wednesday, Oct. 21 issue of The Laurens County Advertiser.