Moundville Native American Festival connects past with present

A long-running festival that aims to entertain people while educating them about the heritage and culture of Native Americans will return next week to West Alabama.

The annual Moundville Native American Festival will be held Oct. 12-15 at the University of Alabama Moundville Archaeological Park, 634 Mound State Parkway. This will mark the first in-person festival since 2019. During the past two years, the event was held online only because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Thousands of visitors are expected at the festival, which began 34 years ago.

“The festival is one the largest events that brings people to the park every year,” said Clay Nelson, director of the UA Moundville Archaeological Park.

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Holding the festival online was the best option for the past couple of years, but Nelson said there's no substitute for seeing up close the park's attractions, which include 29 massive flat-topped earthen mounds.

“... While virtual events can help educate about Moundville, nothing can compare to experiencing the site in person. We can describe the earthen mounds as much as we want but seeing them in person really helps illustrate what great engineering feats the indigenous peoples of Alabama were doing in the 13th century." Nelson said.

The festival will feature artists, craftsmen, and educators from around the nation, who will share their knowledge of Native American culture. People will be able to buy Native American crafts and food, as well as traditional festival foods.

The festival will include a children's area and Native American performers such as Lyndon Alec, who will perform hoop dancing, and the group Chikasha Hithla, which will demonstrate Chickasaw stomp dancing.

Visitors are also encouraged to visit the Jones Archaeological Museum, which includes a gift shop and a café. The museum, gift shop, and café will be open throughout the festival.

Festival hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 12-13  and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 14-15. Admission is $10 for adults, students, and seniors. Pre-registered groups of 10 more cost $8 per person. Children younger than 5 will be admitted free. 

Nelson said the festival will offer an opportunity to learn about the past and the present of Native Americans.

“We can learn from the past inhabitants of Alabama about how the environment was used, how people interacted with one another, and what can be appreciated about the areas around us,” Nelson said. “It’s important to learn about Moundville and then remind people that Native Americans are still around. They did not disappear."

Called “The Big Apple of the 14th Century” by National Geographic, Moundville Archaeological Park was once the site of a powerful prehistoric community that, at its peak, was America’s largest city north of Mexico, according to the park’s website.

The park preserves 326 acres where, 800 years ago, Mississippian people constructed 29 massive flat-topped earthen mounds, arranged around a vast central plaza. The mounds served as elevated platforms for civic and ceremonial structures and the homes of nobles.

According to a news release from UA, living history presenters at the festival will reenact how different Native American tribes lived and thrived over the years. Presenters will demonstrate cooking, dressmaking, tools, and weapons.

“At the Moundville Native American Festival, we celebrate, not just the past, but the present with our many demonstrators and Native American participants, showing a real connection between the past and the present,” Nelson said.

UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park is 13 miles south of Tuscaloosa off Alabama Highway 69 in Hale County. The park, which is open year-round, also features a half-mile nature trail, picnic areas, scenic views of the Black Warrior River and a campground.

For more information, go to https://moundville.museums.ua.edu.