Cornstalk Shoot To Take Place At Soccer Fields

TAHLEQUAH A traditional cornstalk shoot competition will be held in conjunction with Northeastern State Universitys 36th Annual Symposium on the American Indian on Thursday, April 17 from 1-4 p.m. at the NSU soccer field, weather permitting. The event is open to the public.

A cornstalk shoot is a traditional Indian game where archers line up and take aim at cornstalks bundled up. The cornstalks are sat horizontally between four posts to hold them together. The score is determined by how many cornstalks the arrow pierces. Accuracy and strength is required to have the arrows penetrate the rack as horizontally as possible. The strength of the pull determines whether the arrow has enough velocity to pierce the tough woody fiber of the cornstalk.

The Cherokee Cornstalk Society will lead the competition, and prizes will be awarded to the top finishers. The Sun the Moon the Stars, Rhythms of Life, the 36th Annual Symposium on the American Indian is set for April 16-19, 2008 at NSU in the University Center.

Featured speakers include Oklahoma Centennial Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner N. Scott Momaday, retired commander of the U.S. Navy and former NASA astronaut John Herrington, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Jerry Elliott, Kiowa traditionalist Kelly Anquoe, documentary filmmaker Sara Barnett-Flores, Navajo cultural consultant Dr. David Begay, Coordinator for the Pawnee Earth Lodge exhibit at the Field Museum of Chicago Mary Ann Bloom, award winning novelist and poet Robert Conley, Sioux traditionalist Warren Hawk, Assistant Site Manager and Public Relations Director for the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site William Iseminger, Founder and President of the Indigenous Education Institute Dr. Nancy Maryboy, Director of Indians into Psychology at the University of North Dakota Justin D. (Doug) McDonald, and Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics at the University of Kansas Dr. Akira Yamamoto.

For more information on the 36th annual Symposium on the American Indian, call the NSU Center for Tribal Studies at 918- 444-4350.

4/10/2008

Published: 2008-04-10 00:00:00