OKMULGEE, Okla.- This year’s new event for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Festival was the Mvskoke Foodways Contest. It took place at the College of the Muscogee Nation STEM building on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. The showcase and awards reception was on June 27 and the exhibition of entrees and winners was held on June 28. The inaugural event saw over 50 submissions that were entered in nine different categories.
On Friday, the People’s Choice Award food tasting gave citizens a chance to vote for their favorite dish overall, and the reception also included a charcuterie table made by Austin Forrest and desserts by Laura Mason. After the tasting and judging, an award ceremony for all of the categories took place.
CMN Extension Coordinator Chris Azbell (Mvskoke) shared his experience coordinating this inaugural event. “We had an unbelievable time and hopefully this event will continue to grow in the years to come,” he said.
Gina Powell (Mvskoke), an attendee who decided to come and enjoy the food categories that were entered. “I came to this event because I wanted to try the new foods. To me they were new, but they were traditional,” Powell said.
She enjoyed the taklik-kvmokse (sour cornbread) which she said she had eaten since she was a kid, however she was hesitant to try it out this year’s contest but ended up liking it. She also tried out the pvrko afke (grape dumplings).
Powell mentioned it was good to get out from the heat and to stay cool inside while enjoying the foods that were entered. “It’s really good, I’m glad they had it. Just to be able to get out of the heat for a little bit. I felt it was really awesome and also to just come try out all the food, it was really good, I got full,” Powell said.
Seth Harjo (Mvskoke) was a participant who entered in an art competition and placed third. His grandmother Carol Tiger and sister Sutv Harjo also entered and placed this year as well.
His entry was titled “Grandma Sour Cornbread Spoon,” and merges his grandmother’s wooden spoon with his own beadwork. The piece took him ten hours to complete. Harjo shared that he could have finished sooner but wasn’t satisfied, so he started over a few times. “I put in some native style beadwork. Going with a three drop peyote stitch, I chose the spoon because my grandmother is well known for cooking and I’m trying to get known for beading. But it puts a twist of both our work on display,” Harjo said.
Harjo spoke about his family competing this year and said that his family lives for competition. This was his first time putting his art out there and it was a thrill for Harjo to compete in the Mvskoke Foodways Contest.
“It was great seeing the culture through different perspectives. How one dish/art is made in its own way but coming out similar,” Harjo said. “It would be nice to have and see the best our Nation has to have, to have them come out, get the word out for next year and years to come. I want to see the best art, I want to see and taste the best food. Who wouldn’t come out, come compete, and get the blood flowing.”
Harjo is self-taught and has been beading for about a year and half.
“I started beading because as a Marine Veteran I was always told when in leadership position ‘What’s more dangerous than our Marines?’ and the answer was ‘Always a bored Marine,’” Harjo laughed. “So now I’m never bored. There’s always work to do and it kinda keeps me going.”
Results:
People’s Choice
Carol Tiger- Chicken & dumplings and frybread
Traditional Dish & Recipe
1st place: Gano Perez
2nd place: Carol Tiger
3rd place: Claudia McHenry
Art
1st place: Meske Wind
2nd place: Lahoma Schultz
3rd place: Seth Harjo
Apron Making
1st place: Amy Park
2nd place: Pearl Thomas
3rd place: Amy Park
Photography
1st place: Marissa Lewis
2nd place: Gano Perez
3rd place: Marissa Lewis
O’safke
1st place: Abbie Larney
2nd place: Eastman Holloway
3rd place: Carol Tiger
Taklik-kvmokse (sour cornbread)
1st place: Lisa Bear
2nd place: Carol Tiger
3rd place: Claudia McHenry
Cvto Hakv (blue bread)
1st place: Carol Tiger
2nd place: Abbie Larney
Pvrko afke (grape dumplings)
1st place: Pearl Thomas
2nd place: Sutv Harjo
3rd place: Carol Tiger
Plant (house/flower)
1st place: Marline Mattox
2nd place: Marline Mattox
3rd place: Amy Park
Plant (food/crop)
1st place: Amy Park
2nd place: Arvcuken Noquisi
3rd place: Daniel Sanders
Youth division 12-18 Photography
1st place: Kira Perez
Youth division 12-18 Art
1st place: Kali Perez
2nd place: Kira Perez
3rd place: Lylee Bear
Results provided by Cassandra Thompson and Chris Azbell
