For 60 years, the Salute to the Pioneers event at Indian Creek Pioneer Church in Reily has celebrated the settlers of Reily township in the 1800s. This year, however, the event will celebrate those who resided in the area prior to the arrival of European settlers – the native Myaamia people.

Andrew Sawyer, the education outreach specialist at the Myaamia Center at Miami University, will be this year’s guest speaker. Sawyer will discuss the history of the Myaamia Tribe of Oklahoma and the population that lives here today.

“The title of the event is ‘Salute to the Pioneers,’ but there were people here before pioneers showed up,” Sawyer said.

“I’m going to talk about the history of the Myaamia people in this region, their historical homelands, some of the first interactions they had with the Europeans and then ultimately their removal from this region,” Sawyer said. 

Sawyer said he hopes attendees leave the event with a greater appreciation for the Myaamia people’s history in the region, as well as their community here today.

“I’m hoping [they] take away a better appreciation not just of the history of Native peoples in this region, but of the contemporary presence of Native peoples in this region,” Sawyer said. “A lot of folks don’t seem to recognize that Native people are still here. I think that’s one of the most important points to recognize, that Native people are still here today.”

MetroParks of Butler County communications manager Katie Ely-Wood said that she hopes visitors will also leave with a greater appreciation for the history attached to Indian Creek Pioneer church.

“We want people to come out and see the property, and come and hear the really cool information that the speaker will be providing,” Ely-Wood said. 

The event will be held at Indian Creek Pioneer Church, 3000 Indian Creek Road, at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 19. The event is free and open to the public, and a cookie and social hour will follow.