The 14th annual Roanoke Island American Indian Festival is set for this weekend.
Taking place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the Manteo High School practice field, sponsors for the festival and powwow are the Algonquian Indians of North Carolina Inc. and the Roanoke-Hatteras Indians of Dare County.
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The nonprofit Algonquian Indians of North Carolina is composed of people who are genealogically descended from the original historic Roanoke-Hatteras (Croatan) Indians of Dare County. “We are dedicated to keeping alive the heritage and culture of our ancestors, for the benefit of our members and the community at large. Historically, our tribes were known for fishing, hunting and farming,” its website states.
There will be food, exhibits, health screening, survival techniques and vendors. Because no seating will be provided, those attending should bring a lawn chair, blanket, beach umbrella and related items. Only service animals are allowed.
Pea Island Preservation Society, Inc. said in a release from their organization that they’ll have a table set up at the festival.
The society’s Outreach and Education Director Joan Collins said in a press release that the festival is a important reminder that many who live and have lived in the area have American Indian ties.
“The historic U.S. Life-Saving Service and later U.S. Coast Guard station once at Pea Island on the Outer Banks is perhaps one of the best local reminders,” Collins said. “The plaque which hangs on the outside wall of the Pea Island Cookhouse Museum on Roanoke Island shows the names of numerous surfmen who worked at the station, 1880-1947, with known American Indian ties.”
The society’s tent will have a list of the surfmen with American Indian ties.
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