PICKENS — Every November the Hagood Mill Historic Site observes Native American Heritage Month by holding the Native American Celebration, Selugadu. Selugadu translates into cornbread in the Tsalagi Gawonihisdi (Cherokee) language. Selu, meaning corn and gadu, meaning bread.

This celebration of cornbread is a Harvest Festival. November is the time of year when Native Americans reaped the harvest of corn. Across the Americas the first people developed over 250 varieties of corn. Corn was an essential crop in Native American life and came to be in colonial life as well.

At this time of year Americans give thanks. Come out to the Hagood Mill to give thanks to, and honor the first peoples of these lands, for the food traditions and customs that have influenced southern Appalachian life. On Saturday, Nov. 19 many people from many tribal groups will come together to share their customs from today and yesteryear at Hagood Mill Historic Site.

Saturday’s event runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Activities, including the operation of the Hagood Mill, living history demonstrations and a cherry-picked group of vendors will be going on through the day. Visitors and guest performers will participate in the festivities of the day which will include Native American traditional drumming, singing, dancing, flute playing, storytelling, Cherokee hymns in the Tsalagi Gawonihisdi language, and traditional crafts and demonstrations. Food trucks will be available to purchase lunch or a snack from.

Demonstrations of food-way traditions such as stone grinding of cornmeal, cooking fry-bread, and roasting corn will take place throughout the day. Barry Crawford’s prehistoric cooking demonstration using ancient soapstone bowls is too artful to be missed. Members from the Foothills Archaeology Society will be on site to identify Native American stone tools and artifacts. Be sure to bring your treasure to be identified!

While on site check out “Our Native Roots: An Interpretive Trail.” The interpretive trail takes visitors along the Old Indian Path, which is an ancient trading path that took the Native Americans from the Mississippi coast and up and through the continental divide to Virginia. The interpretive trail includes a dugout out canoe which will be burned during the Native American Celebration, a river cane restoration area, a sacred fire circle for all to experience on this special day, a medicine wheel garden, a corn garden, a mortar and pestle for grinding corn, a prehistoric stone mortar, an archaeology adventure for kids, the Paul West artifact collection, and the petroglyphs that were made in prehistoric times. We are especially grateful to Paul West, who donated his personal collection of Native American artifacts, art, and books to the Hagood Mill Foundation, and are now housed in the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site.

As always, visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for the show. They are also welcomed to bring their favorite old-time instruments and join in the “open jam” which typically takes place throughout the day under the ancient cedar beside our beloved 1791 log cabin.

Admission is $5 per person aged 13 and up. Children 12 and under are free and there are no parking fees. Admission includes entrance to the Hagood Mill Historic Site as well as the Heritage Pavilion and Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. Camping is available onsite all weekend.

The weekend starts on Friday, Nov. 18 at the Heritage Pavilion with Michael Bramlett as a featured presenter.