This year’s Native American Culture Day will focus on the women of the Atakapa-ishak nation and Mrs. Mary Leblanc of the Akokisa tribe (from the Texas band) will be performing basket weaving and pottery. Read below for more details on the event.
EVENT DETAILS:
We are excited for the upcoming Native American Culture Day and for your tribe to attend our festivities. Just as a reminder, it will be held on September 20 at Vermilionville and will last from 10 AM – 4 PM. Please review the attached contract and confirm your activities. Please also confirm the number of people representing your tribe on this day. We will have a hospitality station for lunch for you on this day. You also have the option to purchase lunch at the pavilion. We will also have someone handing out water bottles all day to keep you hydrated and cool.
PAYMENT:
I have included funds from our grant awards to help pay for travel and stipends. I will need you to designate who the check should be made payable to. It is of utmost importance that you deposit this check immediately following the event day. They have changed our grant stipulations and I have to show proof of payment and a cleared check within the first week of the program happening. If you do not deposit the check immediately after, you may be forced to forfeit payment.
W9 FORM:
I will need a W9 for whomever check(s) will be written out to for the Foundation’s files. This is also attached.
POSTER:
We will have a hard copy of the poster for each tribe. I have attached the electronic version if you would like to print your own.
OFFICIAL TRIBE DESIGNATION:
We would like to add your tribe’s official designation to the signage in the village this year. We hope to use this as an opportunity for you to discuss your plans with our visitors and show them how they can help you gain recognition from the state and federal authorities. Please let me know what your official status is as soon as possible.
GIFT SHOP CONSIGNMENT:
If you would like to sell your merchandise on consignment for the culture day, please contact our gift shop manager as soon as possible. This needs to be discussed with her prior to September 12th in order for items to be ready for purchase at the event. You have the option to sell the items in the gift shop or at your station. If you decide to sell items at your station, our gift shop manager will need to inform you of the price to charge due to our consignment policy. Please contact Chris Benoit if you have any questions or concerns. She may be reached at 337-233-4077 x. 203 or GiftShop@
ARRIVAL:
Please check in the lobby before you head to your location. We will have a welcome packet for you and would like to confirm all paperwork is complete before you go into the village. This is very important the morning of the event. We will also have maps and a schedule of the day’s activities for you.
END OF DAY:
At the end of the day, we will ask that all tribes report to the new Common Ground ceremonial area for a special ceremony. This area was created for you! We want you to have your own place at Vermilionville in the future to take residence and meet with our visitors on a consistent basis. We ask that everyone report to the Common Ground at 3:15 PM for the conclusion of the 2014 Native American Culture Day.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the day’s activities. I have also included the materials you requested from us that your tribe might need for the day. Please confirm or inform me of changes.
So to recap, please respond with the following:
-Table, Chair, and other Material Needs
-Confirmation of Activities on Contact
-Tribe Designation
Thank you very much and have a wonderful week.