LAURINBURG — November is Native American Heritage Month and the Arts Council of Scotland County is highlighting local native artists.
Board member Tonya Elk Locklear has several items on display, ranging from a ribbon skirt and shawl to her own poetry in the building.
“I grew up in southeastern North Carolina in Robeson County,” Elk Locklear said. “I have ties to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and the Oglala Sioux. I joined the Arts Council of Scotland County after Ms. Dora (Sharber) saught me out … with Native American Heritage Month they wanted to do something that would highlight the Native American’s in this community so I told her let’s put up a display.”
The window of the Storytelling Arts Center has a display in it along with several areas inside which are dedicated to honoring the Native American Heritage.
“It’s a really good opportunity to encourage more Native American presence not only in the Arts Council but to promote activities that would engage our indigenous community,” Elk Locklear said. “We have artists, we have writers, we have a whole plethora of creative minds in our indigenous communities so we want them to come to participate and to have the community see what we have created.”
Besides Elk Lockear’s items Laurinburg resident, Mary Beth Locklear has some items on display as well,
“One of the goals is that people see there is an indigenous presence here and we acknowledge the indigenous people that are here,” Elk Locklear said. “Being indigenous is 27/7, 365, we celebrate not only in November but all year, all the time, through ceremonies, through songs, through our poetry, through our pottery, through powwows and kinship ties we hope to develop through the various opportunities with the community.”
Director for the Arts Council Olivia Fitzgerald added it’s the first time the Arts Council has done a display like this to honor the indigenous community.
“We’re hoping to have more events and start having more of a presence,” Fitzgerald said. “A lot of people move into a community and they don’t know where or even if there is an arts center. So we want to feature someone every month and get art in from different people to open up the Arts Center to more people and just be a more visual part of the community.”
The Arts Council is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. To keep up with programming and events follow the Arts Council of Scotland County/Storytelling & Arts Center of the Southeast on Facebook.
Reach Katelin Gandee at [email protected].
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