Cherokee Nation introduces SkasdiCon, a celebration of Native perspective and influence on the comic book scene

Cherokee Nation is celebrating Native perspective and influence within the comic book scene with its first-ever Indigenous comic convention, SkadiCon.

The family-friendly event is slated for Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Northeastern State University in the University Center Ballroom at 612 N. Grand Ave. It is free to attend.

“SkasdiCon is providing a platform to celebrate and share the Native perspective and influence on comic books, video games, tabletop games, novels, film, television and more,” said Talisha Lewallen, manager of cultural programs and events for Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism. “Pop culture has proven its ability to unite people from different walks of life and by combining that with the Native perspective, we hope to give people a safe, shared space and time to be themselves and share what they love.”

The word “skasdi” is Cherokee slang. It‚s a playful word that represents pride, impressiveness, awesomeness, fierceness or feistiness, which describes the many comic book and video game characters often represented within comic con circuits.

Throughout the day guests will enjoy panel discussions, meet more than 30 Indigenous artists and creators, view a screening of Inage‚I (a Cherokee language animation for kids) and participate in a familyfriendly cosplay competition with prizes awarded in seven categories.

Attendees must be registered by 1 p.m. to participate in the cosplay competition.

The event is hosted by Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism with support from the NSU Center for Tribal Studies, championed by Cherokee language preservationist and artist Roy Boney Jr.

Recognized as the 2022 Sequoyah Fellow by NSU, Boney was tasked with supporting a special project or event that promotes Cherokee language and culture, and collaborated with a committee to bring Skasdi-Con to life.

For more information, including a full event schedule, cosplay rules and regulations, and a list of participating artists, creators and cosplay judges, please visit https://skasdicon.com/.