DRECATUR, INDIANA Photo provided.
T
by Amy M. Orr
he word “kekionga” is Native American, meaning “blackberry bush.” Kekionga was once the central village of the Miami Indian culture in northeast Indiana.
German, Hispanic, pioneers. After the fourth year, it was decided to focus on the 1840s-era pioneer and Native American culture.
According to Decatur Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Wes Kuntzman, it was this culture, along with that of early pioneers, that inspired the city’s Kekionga Festival. “There was a desire to highlight the culture and heritage of Decatur and nothern Adams County,” he explains.
“The living history village has become the centerpiece of the festival. What started as a small event at the Riverside Center has grown into a citywide event.”
“The first few years, different cultural groups that impacted Decatur were featured—
30
The Chamber spends an entire year planning the next year’s festival. In fact, Kuntzman says planning for the next year begins just a month after the current festival ends.