Drums thundered, chants echoed, feathers and beads flung side to side, and the bright regala swirled to the beat. On a Saturday afternoon, the sounds and colors filled the large Field House at UW Madison. I sat in the stands mesmirized, impressed, and inspired. I had convinced my sister and cousin to join my adventure. They were happy to follow me to a traditional Pow Wow and turkey and potatoe meal.
Fast forward a decade plus, the beat of a drum softly beat as my two year old played under a grass thatched roof. No crowds clapping, just the sound of wind through the feathers of geese landing on the grounds. Sun Watch Indian Village in Dayton, Ohio consists of 3 acres and opened to the public in 1988 after 17 years of excavation. We talked about what it would be like living in a village, hunting and preparing for winter. You can read about it in a book...but when you walk through a village, the experience brings the lesson to life and inspires two year olds to ask lots of questions.
Lesson Idea
You too can immerse your kids in Native American history by visiting a museum, mound, park, or festival. To prove you don't need to take a long trip out West for the history lesson, here's 7 sites in the Midwest:
1. Sun Watch Indian Village / Archaeological Park - Dayton, Ohio (OH)
$5 entrance includes museum and village (pictured above)
2. Effigy Mounds - near Harpers Ferry, Iowa (IA)
3. Cahokia Mounds - near East St. Louis, MO
4. Hopewell Cultural Artifacts - Chilicothe, Ohio (OH)
5. Pawnee Indian Village State Historic Site - Republic, Kansas
6. Serpent Mounds - Memorial, Ohio (OH)
7. Native American Heritage Museum State Historic Site - Highland, Kansas
Check their websites for events like a pow wow. For a list of National Parks with Native American education, see my other blog http://www.lightningbuglodge.blogspot.com/
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