The fifth annual Otoe-Missouria Day was held on Sept. 25-27, 2026, at Mahoney State Park. The weekend featured dance, ceremony, food, workshops, and community for both Otoe-Missouria tribal members and residents of southeast Nebraska.
The weekend kicked off with a community conversation at the Lincoln Indian Center about the new mural painted by Otoe-Missouria artists, followed by a workshop with musician Olivia Komahcheet (Comanche and Otoe-Missouria). Guests also had the opportunity to visit the Kihega Garden, the Nebraska State Historical Society, and Nebraska History Museum.
At Mahoney State Park, Saturday, Sept. 26, began with a series of workshops for both tribal members and the public. Anevay Greenwood's workshop dove deep into her play, "Native in America." At the Native plant/medicine workshop, Jeri Devitt and Marci Black discussed plant identification, medicinal benefits, and how to process them.
The Wosgą Wokigo group (Christina Goodson, Elsie Whitehorn, Alvin Moore, Kelene Deer) held a workshop on language, history and culture that covered the origins and history of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe from Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska to the current location in Red Rock, Okla. It also covered cultural loss and what efforts Jiwere-Nut’achi Wosgą Wokigo is undertaking to revitalize language and culture.
Tom Farris held a printmaking workshop that led tribal members through the process of making their own ribbonwork pattern print. Niko DeRoin-Davidson led a workshop on powwow etiquette for non-Natives while children took part in nature activities with Big Gumdrop Outdoors.
The afternoon was filled with dancing, food, and community. Tribal members could pick up seeds and produce grown in the Kihega Garden and Scott Stuckey's corn plot. Chef Anthony Warrior prepared dinner with ingredients sourced from tribes across the country.
The evening concluded with a reading of "Native in America," a play by Anevay Greenwood, and a musical performance by Komahcheet.
Next year's Otoe-Missouria Day will take place at Mahoney State Park on Sept. 18, 2027.
