Richard L. Thornton, RA Registered Architect & City Planner Talamachusee Design Studio architecture - historic preservation - planning - native ceramics reproductions native american communty development - virtual archaeology graphics 62 Twin Oak Trace - Talking Rock, GA - 30175 706-253-0301 www.native-pottery.com Everybody of Creek descent is cordially invited to be guests of honor at the second annual Oconee Homecoming Festival near Sparta, GA on May 1, 2004. For that matter decendants of any of the Southeastern Native American peoples are invited. Already several tribes in South Carolina and Florida have stated their intent to attend. This is not a commercial pow-wow, but a traditional Creek Festival sponsored by the local county government and people of Oconee (eastern Creek) descent. A very high percent of the people in the Sparta area have Creek ancestry, and the county was also the location of the last great council of all Southeastern Tribes in the East. The leaders from various tribes will dedicate the New Ocute Ceremonial Ground which is an authentic Creek townsquare and talwamicco mound. Plans will also be unveiled for the construction of a authentic re-creation of the Oconee mother town of Ocute, as it looked in 1400 AD. This will be a Living History town in which visitors will be able to stay for the day or for the week. In the 1600s thousands of Oconees were captured by English slave raiders and scattered all over the South and Carribbean. Later in the 1700s and 1800s, many Oconees intermarried with Caucasians and Africans. The "die-hards" fled to northern Florida and became the core group of what was to become the Seminoles. The famous Uncle Remus Tales are actually Oconee "morality" stories which parents told to their children and later to their African neighbors and relatives. Any member of a state or federally recognized Native American tribe will be admitted free, will not be charged a vendors fee, and can camp free at the adjacent county park. Tribal leaders will have seats of honor atop the talwamicco mound.