By Matt Flumerfelt
QUITMAN — The River Oak Inter-Tribal Community’s Fall Pow-Wow will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2077 Troupeville Road near Quitman. The festival brings Native American descendants and others together for Native American food, music, arts and crafts, fun and education, said Glenn “Wolf” Kringle, an elder in the Inter-Tribal community. The event will run continuously from Friday through Sunday. Families are encouraged to come out and camp for the entire weekend, Kringle said. Admission is free. Patrons should bring their own lawn chairs, mats, and blankets. Those wishing to make reservations are encouraged to call ahead. A shower facility and portable toilets will be available.
The grand entry will be at 9 a.m. on Friday with a second at 7 p.m.. A variety of games and activities appealing to children will also be featured, Kringle said.
Highlights will include inter-tribal dances, Native American fry-bread, Native American flute and drum performances, handcrafted jewelry, dreamcatchers, mandalas, regalia (clothing), raw crafting materials, medicine pouches, Native American music CDs, and other items.
There will be a Wild West Show and encampment by North Florida Wild West Show, plus a civil war encampment and reenactment, said organizer Tim “Gray Wolf” Kimmerling.
A variety of tribes were represented at last year’s pow-wow — from Creek and Cherokee to Seminole and Mohican. Traditional teepees decorated the field, while more traditional campsites featuring modern-day camping equipment could also be seen.
“The goal of the pow-wow is to let some proudly display their heritage and let others, who know nothing about their heritage, learn,” Kimmerling said.
The River Oak Inter-Tribal Community provides Native American public education classes/lectures and demonstrations for schools, libraries, and other public events, Kimmerling said. Members of the inter-tribal community, in conjunction with the Alapaha River Band of Cherokees in Jennings, Fla., also provides free food assistance to needy families in the South Georgia and North Florida region, Kringle said.
“We’re here to serve the whole community, not just Native Americans,” Kringle said.
For more information, call Tim “Gray Wolf” Kimmerling at (229) 305-5728, Anita “Little One” Thomas at (229) 305-5729 or Glenn “Wolf” Kringle at (229) 251-2421.
