Catawba Chief Donald Rogers
welcomes guests to the 2007 Festival

Yap Ye Iswa  
“Day of the Catawba”
Festival

Each year, Catawba Indian art, history, and culture is on display when the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project brings its Yap Ye Iswa (“Day of the Catawba”) Festival to the campus of USC Lancaster.  The festival, which began in 1990 and was named a “Local Legacy” by the United States Congress, occurs in full celebration of Catawba heritage with the food, music and dance, and pottery and craft sales that festival-goers have come to expect.

Catawba Snake Pot by
Catawba Indian Potter Caroleen Sanders

Typically, the festival program includes exhibitions of traditional American Indian arts and crafts; activities for children; demonstrations of traditional food preparation (and a chance to sample these dishes); talks on Native American history, culture, and archaeology; lessons on Catawba language; storytelling; and performances by Native American dance and drum groups.  The unique tradition of Catawba pottery, an art form that goes back long before the arrival of Europeans,  are on display as traditional Catawba Indian potters offer visitors a chance to view and purchase their works  of art.

Catawba Dancer Beckee Garris
performs at the 2007 Festival

The Catawba Indians are the only federally-recognized tribe in South Carolina.  Their cultural festival was designed as an educational outreach to both the tribal and the non-tribal communities. The mission of the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project is to preserve, protect, promote and maintain the rich cultural heritage of the Catawba Nation, "The People of the River."  The work of the USCL Native American Studies Program complements this mission, offering course work, public programs, and educational opportunities that highlight the history and culture of South Carolina’s Native peoples.  Through this collaborative event, the CCPP and USCL hope to honor the heritage of the Catwabas and other Native communities in our region and offer visitors a day of education and entertainment.

For more information, contact Dr. Stephen Criswell, Director of Native American Studies, USC Lancaster, at 803-313-7108 or by email at criswese@mailbox.sc.edu or the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project at 803-328-2427.

For more information about this event, the Catawbas, or the USCL NAS program, or to schedule an interview with the organizers, contact Dr. Criswell at the above phone number or email address.