Events

🌽 Welcome to Our Green Corn Unity Festival! 🌽
We are thrilled to invite you to a powerful weekend of tradition, unity, and celebration at the Green Corn Unity Festival, held on May 9th, 10th, and 11th at USC Salkehatchie. Join us for three unforgettable days filled with cultural experiences, traditional dances, educational activities, and community fellowship.

Whether you’re a first-time guest or a returning friend, this festival offers something special for everyone—especially families, educators, and youth. Come honor the beauty of Indigenous culture through storytelling, dance, music, and shared meals.

📅 Green Corn Schedule:

FRIDAY, MAY 9TH – Youth & Community Day

  • 10:00 AM – Festival opens with an official welcome and seating
  • 10:15 AM – Educational Vendor Tour: Children will visit vending booths where tribal members share stories and history about their tribes
  • 11:00 AM – Dance Style Showcase
    • Women’s Traditional
    • Men’s Traditional
    • Grass Dancers
    • Fancy Dancers
    • Jingle Dress Dancers
    • Intertribal Dancing – Children are invited to dance and participate
  • 11:40 AM – Preview and discussion about the upcoming play, “Have You Seen My Sister”, written and directed by Marcellus Ford
  • 12:00 NOON – Lunch Break – BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket)
  • 12:30- Steel Drummers Perform
  • 1:30 PM – Performance of the play “Have You Seen My Sister”
  • End of Friday’s youth activities

SATURDAY, MAY 10TH – Main Festival Day -Dedicated to Rick Franklin & Markayla Roberts

  • 9:00 AM – Opening with traditional PowWow etiquette
  • 12:30 PM – GRAND ENTRY
    • Memorial Song
    • Victory Song
    • Rick Franklin Observance
      • MC Billy Kip reads Rick Franklin’s biography
  • 1:00 PM – Military Procession in honor of Rick Franklin
    • Drumming by Grey Cloud
    • Dance facilitation by the MC
  • 2:30 PM – Dancers break
  • 5:30 PM – First Call for Dancers
  • 6:30 PM – Second GRAND ENTRY
  • 7:15 PM – Fire Hoop Dancer Performance
  • Evening – Candlelight Vigil in remembrance of Markayla Roberts
  • Closing Ceremony

SUNDAY, MAY 11TH – Celebration & Closing

  • 11:00 AM – GRAND ENTRY
    • Drumming by Grey Cloud
  • 1:00 PM – Intertribal Dancing, Auction Trade Blanket, and Committee Walk
  • 2:00 PM – Closing Ceremony

🌿 Come celebrate life, honor tradition, and build community at the Green Corn Unity Festival. We can’t wait to see you there!