Native American Heritage Events This Weekend

The Native American Guardians Association is coming to Putnam County this weekend to discuss preserving Native American culture.

The Tennessee Freedom Force is hosting the event. Freedom Force President Jeffrey Birdwell said they are having a panel Saturday where Native American leaders of 15 tribes will meet to discuss the eradication of Native American culture and issues facing the Native American community.

“They gather together –different Native American cultures, for example the Cherokee Nation or the Sioux Nation–they gather together in one place and they discuss all this that’s going on with eradicating Native American culture,” said Birdwell.

Birdwell said Saturday’s panel will be a discussion both among the Native American leaders and the public to facilitate conversations about the erasure of Native American heritage.

“They will have their discussion and they will have a lot of key points that they’re addressing right now. They’re going to do that through a 2-3 hour panel meeting and discuss it among themselves and come up with solutions. Then they will open it up to the public to ask questions  and they’re going to answer those questions,” said Birdwell.

Birdwell said that in addition to the panel Saturday morning at the Algood Sportsplex, there will also be a barbecue dinner and meet-and-greet event on Friday evening at the Southern Hills Ballroom.

Admission for Friday night is $15, and admissions for Saturday’s panel is free.