Visitors to Moundville Archaeological Park this Saturday can hurl spears and throw stones from slings as the staff kicks off the spring Saturday in the Park series.
Weapons expert Bill Skinner, a retired United States Marine, will display and discuss blowguns, spear-flinging atlatls and other Native American weapons and tools this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can peruse the hands-on display for no charge after paying park admission, which is $6 for college and university students and $8 for adults.
The Saturday in the Park series highlights the history of southeastern Native American tribes with interactive exhibitions that give attendees glimpses into ancient life, from art to warfare and more. After its launch this weekend, the series will take the following week off then take place every Saturday from March 19 until May 21.
The forecast from the National Weather service predicts clear, sunny skies Saturday, with highs near 70 degrees.
Here's the rest of the Saturday in the Park series lineup:
March 19: Southeastern Indian Shell Carving with Dan Townsend. Townsend's carved pendants, medicine cups and earrings are created from lightning whelk shell, gold or black mother-of-pearl, melon shell and abalone. Many of his designs are inspired by shell carvings found at ceremonial sites around the Southeast. Townsend will display his work, discussing the meanings of the designs he carves with visitors. Children can string a shell to make a necklace of their own.
March 26: Prehistoric Textiles. Mary Smith, an award-winning Muscogee basket maker and textile artist from Bixby, Oklahoma, will present different prehistoric weaving techniques. She will have a “make and take” weaving activity for children.
April 2: Southeastern Pottery. Tamara Beane will perform an out-of-door pottery firing in a manner as ancient as some of the pottery she reproduces. Children can play with clay, trying out different tools that would have been used by prehistoric and historic Native Americans.
April 9: Ancient Hunting and Fishing. Bill Skinner will display and discusses an assortment of implements used by the Southeastern Indians for hunting and fishing. Children can make and try out their own sling made from natural fibers.
April 16: Mother Earth and the Three Sisters Garden Day. The park's Americorps Volunteer in Service to America, Kenric Minges, other volunteers and education staff host a day of fun in the garden. Visitors learn that Native Americans interplanted corn, beans and squash, the “Three Sisters,” developing one of the earliest methods of sustainable agriculture. Other plants harvested and/or grown and used by Southeastern Indians, many of which we now consider “weeds,” are included as part of a garden tour. “Black drink,” a traditional tea made from yaupon holly, as well as a trail mix featuring nuts and berries indigenous to North America, will be available for visitors to sample. Children get to decorate a miniature gourd flower pot, and then plant a sunflower in it.
April 23: Cherokee Weaving and Textiles. Catherine “Cat” Sloan will discusses how Euro-Americans intentionally introduced the spinning wheel and loom to change the division of labor among the Cherokee and other Southeastern Indian tribes. Sloan will display a wide variety of textiles made using different weaving methods. Children can learn how to twine their own small bag.
April 30: Choctaw Baskets and Crafts. Ramsey King, of Conehatta, Mississippi, will demonstrate the art of river cane basketry. He will be joined by his mother, Emma King, who will demonstrate traditional Choctaw beadwork. Both will have their works for sale, and children can string themselves a bead necklace.
May 7: Mississippian Copperwork. Bill Skinner will show how Southeastern Indian people used copper to make beads, bracelets, pendants and large plates embossed with religious designs.
May 14: Choctaw Crafts. Juanita Gardinski, of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, will display and discuss appliqué dress and bead work sash making, as well as other kinds of bead work and basketry. She also tells why mounds, similar to those found at the park, are related to the origin and migration of the Choctaw people into Mississippi. Children can try their hand throwing Choctaw rabbit sticks – one of the first “weapons” a young boy might be given.
May 21: Prehistoric Mica Work. Mica is a shiny mineral that naturally occurs in layers, which can be split into thin translucent sheets. Because of its thermal properties, mica was used during historic times as windows for stoves. Prehistorically, starting around 200 B.C., Native Americans started crafting mica into delicate objects – ceremonial mirrors and ornaments that were probably sewn onto clothing. Tamera Beane, of Collinsville will create and display replicas of mica cutouts.