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Thursday, October 5, 2006
Indian festival founder proud of his heritage
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leotis Eddy has a buckskin dress and a pair of high-top moccasins. They’re gifts from her late husband, Paul Eddy. He died on Aug. 29 at the age of 61. Lung cancer.
Long before he died, he gave Leotis Eddy the gifts. She’s never worn them, though. She has them on display in the home they shared in Winder.
It’s not because she’s unappreciative or disdains his Sioux heritage. Her reason is simple, really.
“I’m not Indian,” she told me.
“A lot of people want to be Indian. I don’t try to be. I am proud to be me. That’s what Paul always said: ‘Whatever culture, whatever race — be proud of what you are.’ “
Paul Eddy was disturbed by the misconceptions and negative depictions of Native American Indians. You’ve seen the Westerns. Hollywood cinema fed us tall tales with white actors playing the role of the natives.
Eddy, owner of a land surveying business, took the portrayals to heart.
“He thought the American Indian was the most maligned of all cultures,” Leotis Eddy told me. “He said he wanted to put something on in Gwinnett, something educational.”
Years ago, Eddy was interviewed by AJC Gwinnett News. This is what he had to say:
“We have to take care of the misconceptions and then commence with the true teachings,” he said, noting that people think “the stereotypical American Indian runs around with feathers and jumps up and down to the beat of the drum.”
So in 1992, the Eddys launched the American Indian Festival. It’s a two-day event held every May and October at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. From the get-go, this was Paul Eddy’s baby.
He booked authentic American Indian dancers to take part in competitions. He checked the wares of artists. You didn’t have to be a Native American to be a vendor, but the work had to be quality.
“He didn’t want the junk,” Leotis Eddy said. “He was very particular, and had such a love for this.”
Because of that love, Leotis Eddy and Ryan, the couple’s 33-year-old son, plan to continue the festival. It’s not for the money. It costs between $25,000 and $30,000 to host each festival. The Eddys dip into their own pockets to cover costs unmet through gate receipts and vendors’ fees.
“The first festival, we lost $14,000,” Eddy said. “Each year we’ve come down in the amount of money we lose. If we had done this for the money, I would have to say we would have stopped after the first time.”
The educational component of the festival takes place on Fridays, the day before it opens to the public. School kids on pre-scheduled field trips turn out for lessons on the original settlers. About 1,000 students are expected this year.
For Eddy, the October festival will be particularly spiritual. A memorial service is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday on the fairgrounds. Friends will be asked to say a few words about her husband, the man who nicknamed her “Toadie.” The man who started it all.
And more than likely, would like to see it continue.
The American Indian Festival will be held under the covered rodeo arena of the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $7 for those 13 and older; $4 for 5- to 12-year-olds. Kids younger than 4 get in free.
