The sound of drums and dancing will fill the Catawba reservation east of Rock Hill this Saturday as the Native American tribe hosts its annual Yap Ye Iswa.
It’s a festival celebrating Catawba art and culture with songs and dances that date back thousands of years. Lainey Buckley, director of community services for the Catawba Nation spoke with WFAE's Nick de la Canal about the event.
Nick de la Canal: To start, would you explain the name of this weekend's festival: Yap Ye Iswa. What does it mean?
Lainey Buckley: So, the Yap Ye Iswa festival translates roughly to "day of the Catawba," or "day of the people of the river," since that's our name for ourselves.
De la Canal: So "Iswa" is another name for Catawba or river?
Buckley: Well, "ye Iswa" is "people of the river." And, "people of the river" is the name that we call ourselves. Yes, sir.
De la Canal: OK. And, are there other words in the Catawba language that you might be able to share, like "hello" or "thank you"?
Buckley: Absolutely. So "tanake" means "hello, and "hawuh" means "thank you."
De la Canal: Hawuh. OK, so I understand that this festival got its start in the 1990s. What can you tell us about its origins and what tribal leaders were thinking about when they started this event?
Buckley: Yeah, so when Yap Ye Iswa started, it was an opportunity for Catawba people to come together and celebrate our culture and our history — not only with ourselves as a community — but also with the community at large.
We got a chance to invite people onto the reservation, to see what it looks like, to experience Catawba culture, so that they could get a feel for what makes it so special.
De la Canal: And, so, what can people expect at this weekend's event?
Buckley: Well, at this weekend's event you're going to see drumming and dancing, and lots of artisanal vendors like potters and basket makers. You're going to see demonstrations for things like blow darts. You're going to see our very first falcon release as part of our programming. You're going to see a lot of different speaker series that gives some education about Indigenous issues and hot topics in Indian Country.
You're also going to see a lot of family fun — the same stuff you would see at any festival. Great food, good people coming together, conversation, a chance to relax, and have a good time for everybody.
De la Canal: So the Catawba Nation is going through this really interesting period right now, where the tribe is building a permanent casino and resort in Kings Mountain. This has been years in the making and could bring a lot of wealth and change to the tribe. What role do you see this festival playing as the tribe enters this new era?
Buckley: Well, we hope to see many more people become interested in Catawba history and culture and learning about this nation (which has) stewarded the lands on which they currently sit for the last 6,000-plus years, right? And we think that as people become more aware of our nation, through things like our casino and our newfound economic prosperity, that it will drive some people to learning more about what truly makes us who we are.
While we love our casino and it's a wonderful thing and we're so grateful for all that it is doing for our community, ultimately, to community — the culture, that's the heart of who we are — and that's what people should be thinking about when they think of Catawba Nation.
The festival is Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Click here for more info.
