Two-Day Winter Solstice Celebration: Southeastern Native American Festival at Mission San Luis

Tallahassee –

Mission San Luis invites the public to enjoy two days of Southeastern Native American tribal dances, craft vendors, storytelling, cultural demonstrations, music, and activities at its Winter Solstice Celebration. The event takes place on Saturday, December 14, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, December 15, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Come out to Mission San Luis to honor the Native American heritage of this 17th-century living history village,” said Secretary of State Laurel Lee. “Join in with tribal dancers, learn about southeastern native cultures through storytelling, enjoy some music, try your hand at archery, and much more. The event is fun for the whole family!

The event will include:

Craft Vendors:

Find jewelry, gourd art, dance regalia, traditional instruments, shell and wood carvings, clothing, native plant products, and much more. Support Native American and other artisans while getting your holiday shopping done.

Dance (both performance & participatory):

• Warriors of AniKituhwa – Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• Mississippi Band of Choctaw Social Dancers
• Lyndon Alec, hoop dancer from the Alabama-Couchette Tribe

Storytelling:

• Pedro Zepeda (Seminole)
• Misty Penton (Muscogee Creek)

Music:

• Painted Raven – Contemporary Native American flute and world music by Annette Abbondanza (Painted Raven) of Cherokee and Sioux heritage and Holly Harris (Red Feather) of Cherokee heritage.

Cultural Demonstrations and Activities:

• Apalachee Indian Craft & Cultural Demos
• Canoe Carving Demonstration – Pedro Zepeda, Seminole Indian Tribe
• Cherokee Blow Dart Demo – Warriors of AniKituhwa
• Mississippi Choctaw Crafts & Stickball Demonstrations
• Muscogee Creek hunting camps
• Archery & Atlatl (spear throwing) Activities
• Children’s Crafts
• San Luis Living History Cooking, Candlemaking & Blacksmithing Demonstrations
• Sunscope Viewing – Tallahassee Astronomical Society (Saturday 12/14)
• Drum Circle (Saturday 12/14)
• Waterways and Pathways Game in the Council House

Food vendors will be on site. Parking is available at the historic site.

Regular admission applies ($5 for Adults, $3 for 65+, $2 for ages 6-17, FREE for members, under 6, and active duty military). For more information, including performance schedules, visit missionsanluis.org or our Facebook event page.

Grant funding is provided by Leon County Division of Tourism Development/Visit Tallahassee. The event is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, as well as the Friends of Florida History, Inc. 

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About Mission San Luis                                                                                                                       Mission San Luis, Florida’s Apalachee-Spanish Living History Museum, was the western capital of Spanish Florida from 1656 to 1704. The Mission, now a National Historic Landmark, brings the early 1700s to life with living history interpreters in period dress, reconstructed period buildings, exhibits, and archaeological research. The site is managed by the Florida Department of State, and support is provided by the Friends of Florida History, Inc. Mission San Luis is located at 2100 West Tennessee Street in Tallahassee, Florida, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information call 850.245.6406 or visit missionsanluis.org.