Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians will host Native American Festival Sept. 13th

VIENNA, Md. – The Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians will host its 33rd annual Native American festival Sept. 13, a Saturday, in Vienna, Maryland, at the ball field, according to Chief Donna Abbott.

The Nause-Waiwash tribe is a group of about 300 people who are descendants of the original Nanticoke Indians, who originated on the Eastern Shore.

The group descends from the Nanticoke and Choptank Indian tribes, many of whose members fled into the marshes in the 1700s to avoid execution. Chief Abbott said the festival celebrates their history.

“Native Americans from many tribes on the Shore and abroad are having demonstrations to reflect what we are,” she said.

Capt. John Smith encountered tribal members during his exploration of the Chesapeake. Today, the tribe participates in education and community projects to share its culture. Chief Abbott said outreach is extremely important for the group.

“Our mission is to educate. We finally get a chance to tell our own story because so much information is inaccurate, and we have been working with agencies to try to correct that information,” she said.

Chief Abbott is the first female chief in Maryland, and she vows to continue representing the people of the Nanticoke and Choptank reservations.