Oxford City Spokeswoman, Lorie Denton shared that the Muscogee Nation will be returning to their native homeland on the grounds of Choccolocco Park April 8-9. The city of Oxford is excited to host this festival to provide the Muscogee Nation an opportunity to educate our region about their history in Calhoun County. The event, called Reyicepes (pronounced thlē-yā-jē-béz) is free and open to the public. Oxford Mayor Alton Craft says, “We are thrilled to have such a great working relationship with the Muscogee Nation and can’t wait for others across our region to learn more about them and their culture.”
Some highlights of the festival include Muscogee history presentations, a Native American art market, traditional weaponry demonstrations, Muscogee hymn singings, live paintings by Muscogee artists, make-and- take corn husk dolls, storytelling and flute playing, a clothing and regalia show-and-tell, as well as a meet and greet with Muscogee tribal leadership.
All public and private schools are invited to attend the festival on Friday, April 8. This experience correlates with Alabama State Standards in Social Science for grades 4, 5, 8, and 10. For field trip inquiries, please contact Mary Patchunka-Smith at mary.patchunkasmith@oxfordal.gov.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has shared that their intention and hopes are of educating the local residents and surrounding towns throughout Alabama about the Muscogee people, the first occupants of the state, The Muscogee (Creek) Nation plans to host a two-day festival, Reyicepes (“We Have Come Back”), in Oxford, AL on April 8 and 9.
The festival will also serve as a homecoming and reminder that we are still here and our Nation is still thriving although in a new homeland some hundreds of miles away. There are some who have been mis- informed as to the true history of this country and wonder why we ‘chose’ to leave such an appealing and scenic environment. This festival is intended to provide cultural education and also present an additional way to celebrate the history and existence of the Muscogee people.
“The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is excited to mark its return to the homelands of our ancestors, this particular area of Oxford, AL was the home of the Arbeka Tribal Town,” Principal Chief David Hill said. “The people that live there now, want to know and deserve to know the history of this community and other communities. This is an excellent opportunity to tell our story, which exceeds a millennia of occupying this region, and to re-establish our presence moving forward.”
“So many people still do not know the true history of how we were forced out of our homelands in Alabama or Georgia and we think it’s about time that we take it upon ourselves to reach out and educate as many people as we can so that the public knows that we still exist and that we didn’t choose to leave.” Says LuAnn Bear, a member of the event planning committee in charge of coordinating the festival. Bear and the committee have collaborated with the city of Oxford for months and she says, “The city has been super helpful from day one in helping with anything that we may need to have a successful event. They really want this to be a success so that we may continue it for many years to come.”
The festival is set to take place at Choccolocco Park in the city of Oxford and is free and open to the public. Activities on the agenda for both days include Muscogee storytelling, hymn singing, arts and craft vendors, history presentations, meet and greets with Muscogee tribal leadership and more.
Further information on the Reyicepes (“We Have Come Back”) Festival can be found by contacting LuAnn Bear at lubear@muscogeenation.com or 918-549-2601 or ShaVon Agee at sagee@muscogeenation.com or 918-549-2434.
