Catawba Cultural Preservation

       Like Most Native American tribes, the Catawba Indian Nation is on a mission to restore their culture. These restoration efforts involve pottery, song, dance, language, storytelling, beadwork, weaving, essentially everything that is Catawba. The Catawba Indian Cultural Center is behind most of these efforts and where they are taking place. They are offering classes in all of these different areas. The Cultural Center started offering these classes in the summer of 2005 for the youth and has continued to do so every summer since. The Tribal Elders are the ones who are teaching these classes, yet they are also learning themselves in many cases. 

       As of 1999 John George wass involved in many of these efforts and he has had his own journey to reclaim some of the Catawba Culture. George is the first traditional medicine advisor for the Catawba Indian Nation in 95 years. His journey started in 1995 when his interest in herbs and traditional Catawba medicine began. As of 1999, George was working side by side with the tribal doctors and offering patients the choice of care that they wanted: traditional or modern methods. George also uses talking circles, sweat lodges and the medicine wheel in his care. The Catawba Nation is making great efforts to restore their culture and seem to be succeeding.

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