OKMULGEE – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation held a week of free spring break activities at the Council House in March. The annual event was open to everyone and featured fun cultural activities; this year, they created suncatchers, cornhusk dolls, bone-bead necklaces, and baskets.
“We offer a series of hand-on activities for not only kids but families and adults. We have plenty of adults that come that don’t bring kids. This year a lot of the things are culturally centered. It’s just something fun where kids are not glued to a tablet or phone like, so they can get hand-on activities. We want them to be engaging and creative, but then also have something that’s rooted in cultural activities,” stated MCN Cultural Center and Archives Program Manager ShaVon Agee (Mvskoke).
These activities were designed to offer a free program to the Native and general communities. Agee believes it is important to make everyone feel welcome and to encourage everyone to come in. Visitors who come only to visit the Council House end up staying to make the offered crafts, Agee mentions.
“We can see that we’re making an impact, and it’s also becoming tradition that they come back during the same times of week and events like each time we have activities, if it’s during the summer or spring break, we see a lot of familiar faces,” Agee said.
This year’s artists were Carly Treece, Yafke Marks, and the Mvskoke Nation Youth Services. Last year, Treece taught suncatchers, and it was a fun activity for citizens, so they brought it back this year. She mentions they’re open to working with all artists, and she knows that during spring break, it can get busy.
Agee says that many of the artists will discuss what they’re making and its historical importance.
“We’ve had instances where people have come in and they’ve done something then they just want to learn more about it. I know we’ve had people come in and do beaded earrings and then they want to learn to bead more. So I know it’s helped people to develop their own skills too, once they’ve kind of just been inspired at the Council House. So maybe that’s something that they’ll want to take with them,” Agee said.
What Agee enjoys most about helping host these activities is watching kids experience the joy of making something.
“I like seeing that with the families and having them all come together as a community. Even when we have some activities, not just spring break. But we have a lot of the elders come in, just to hear them laugh. It seems like a lot of these activities have women in them, and you know us Native women can laugh it up. So I just like seeing the community aspect of it,” Agee said.
Being able to do this for the kids, families, and adults she feels is rewarding, and the staff thinks it’s rewarding to see what they can provide for the Native community.
“Especially with how the economy is and gas prices, like not only do you have to pay to get somewhere, you have to pay to do something, and this is free. Knowing that they come back and want to keep coming back to learn and do other things. I think it’s rewarding that we’re able to provide this in our Native community,” Agee said.
Agee hopes that everyone enjoys participating in these activities and having fun. If they haven’t been to the MCN Council House, they can come and check it out, too.
The MCN Council House is open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and is located at 100 W. 6th Street, Okmulgee.
