Unique in Nashville
IndigeNash Festival ’24
On November 24th, I received the opportunity to attend the IndigeNash Festival hosted by The Forge. IndigeNash is a 
Native American arts festival featuring artists in several disciplines including art, music, film, culinary, dance, and fashion. This festival promotes Indigenous artists in the Nashville area, and I was able to experience such a creative culture.
Upon walking into the building, I was greeted with several vibrant art pieces that swept the entrance hall. Further in, there was an aisle of beautiful dresses crafted from various fabrics, each showcasing unique patterns and designs. There were also many jewelry vendors that displayed their colorful beaded pattern pieces. After that aisle, the smell of Indigenous cuisine filled the air for anyone who was eager to eat.
The atmosphere of this place was also quite relaxed and inquisitive. People were asking questions at the different vendors about their products and Native American culture in general. Everyone was very open to telling stories and sharing more about their company’s mission.
I walked upstairs to take a look at the art gallery. Two of the pieces caught my eye because of how interesting they seemed. The two art pieces were of a set and had a woman drawing with a black marker on the big white rag paper that was on her back and front side. She was also not able to see what she was drawing so the drawing came out abstract. It was titled, “Not the First Nor the Last” by Jana Harper. She was attempting to write on the paper, but because she couldn’t see her writing clearly or write on a flat surface, the words blended together, appearing almost like a scribble. 
Another piece that struck me was a black-and-white painting of a Native American woman. She had a feathery coat on, covering her body, a see-through mask covering her mouth, and a bird symbol behind her head. Her stoic facial structure gave this sense of strength and perseverance to her portrait.
After walking around and looking at the different art pieces, I walked into the room next door that included more vendors in a variety of fields. Sophia Rea, a chocolate historian, gave a presentation about the issues revolving around obtaining and producing chocolate. She owned the company, “Hijita,” which is a chocolate company that operates by directly sourcing from “family farms and co-ops in southern Mexico through agroforestry farms.”
This operation is 100% ethically sourced, She described how it was the people’s duty to buy ethical products that do not rely on slave labor. After she finished her presentation, I tried her hot chocolate samples. It was sweet, and milky even though the drink did not require a dairy ingredient. The sample was delicious, so I ended up purchasing the hot chocolate batch and can’t wait to enjoy some over the holidays.
Then, I went to check out a vendor that sold tea outside of the room. The young woman who gave us the tea was also the Native American Indian Association (NAIA) Princess and her company name is “Native Steeped.” They use Yaupon holly that is grown in the southeast region of the USA to make their tea. It was originally used for medicinal purposes, but now it acts as a healthier alternative to coffee but still contains 200 milligrams of caffeine. The poster stated, “Yaupon was the foundation for the ceremonial ‘Black Drink’ and an everyday beverage.” It was important to Southeastern Native American tribes particularly the Choctaw Tribe, who played a significant role in the origins of this company.
Later in the day, a musician performed on Native American instruments in the arts and crafts section of the venue. A small crowd started to form around the musician once he started playing his first few notes. The first instrument looked like two flutes blown together. It was made out of wood with a black rope tied to it and a wooden bridge connecting the two flutes. It sounded like a flute with a drone where one kept a higher pitch sound but the other with a continuous lower pitch. The holes were also only on one flute, so only one could play a melody. He then swapped to a second instrument that looked like a similar flute, but it was a darker shade and bigger. This was only one flute, and it sounded like a bamboo flute or the Chinese Hulusi instrument. It held like a recorder and created a resonating low, hollow sound.
Overall, the IndigeNash Festival was enjoyable and very informative. I learned a lot about the Indigenous community and being able to see them apply their cultural expression to different areas of art was so interesting. I highly recommend everyone to check out the IndigeNash Festival next year when you get a chance. You do not want to miss out on this special opportunity!
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Christina Vongsiharath was born and raised in Murfreesboro, TN, and attends Middle Tennessee State University, majoring in Music Industry and minoring in Finance. She loves performing and is a clarinetist with MTSU’s Wind Ensemble and Clarinet Choir. She also plays the erhu (Chinese fiddle) and is a part of MTSU’s Chinese Music Ensemble. After she graduates, she plans on attending graduate school for ethnomusicology and wants to become a professor teaching students about non-western instruments.
