The performing ambassadors of the Great Navajo Nation, the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers will be visiting Greeneville on April 20 and 21, 2023 as part of a national tour. The tour is in recognition of the 155th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty that established the Navajo Nation State. The treaty was signed by President Andrew Johnson on August 12, 1868.
Established in 1993, the group’s purpose is to educate and share performances of traditional Navajo dances and songs and provide an understanding of the rich cultural traditions of the Navajo “Dineh” People. Under the direction of Shawn Price, the group has performed throughout the United States including the National Museum of the America Indian and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The group will perform a Ceremonial Blessing at the Andrew Johnson Homestead on Thursday, April 20, at 10:30 a.m. This program is free and open to the general public.
A presentation titled “Johnson and Tribal Treaties” will be given at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 20 in the Simon Room of First Presbyterian Church on Main Street in Greeneville. The presenter will be Shawn Price, Tradition Keeper and Director of the Navajo dancers. He will look at some of the post civil war events on the Peace Commission and Johnson’s efforts with the Peace Commission of 1867 and 1868. The speaker will also discuss some of the notable Tribal Treaties that bear his signature. This program is also free and open to the general public.
On April 21, the Dancers will be the guest of the Andrew Johnson Heritage Association, the official friends’ group of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, at a Fund-Raiser Dinner. The dinner and performance program will be at the General Morgan Inn and Conference Center beginning at 6:30 pm. Tickets for the dinner and program are $75.00 per person. Seating is limited to 100 guests. Reservation requests can be obtained at the Andrew Johnson Bank in downtown Greeneville. Reservation requests can also be obtained by calling George Collins at 423-525-0240 or e-mailing shay46@earthlink.net
Proceeds from the Fund-Raiser support the educational programs at the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. The Andrew Johnson Heritage Association is a 501c-3 non-profit organization founded in 1982 by Margaret Johnson Patterson Bartlett, the great-granddaughter of President Johnson. The Association is the “Official Friends Group” of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. The sponsors for this Fund-Raiser include Andrew Johnson Bank, Consumer Credit Union, Copies Unlimited, Gateway Ford, Greeneville Federal Bank, Representative David Hawk, and an anonymous gift in Memory of Dr. Don Sexton.
Andrew Johnson Heritage Association 
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