This is the animal I am scared to meet up with on my morning run. Fortunately, this one had an appointment with a taxidermist before I saw him! It is on display at the Dixon Mounds museum in Lewistown. We met up with a group of area home school families for a field trip this morning. We had a wonderful guide who led us through a pottery program, ending with the children making their own clay pot. Check it out!
We started the tour with Kim, who was extremely knowledgable about the history of the natives that once lived on our land. She was very patient to answer questions and share interesting facts with the children.
Kim gave us a tour of the "back room!" We saw a lot of pottery artifacts that aren't currently on exhibit. She taught us what an animal effigy is. Fancy name, simple definition. An animal effigy pot is a jar, bowl, bottle or vessel made int he shape of animals.
All of them priceless, a piece of history. Yes, I said a little prayer that our curious 3-year-old son would NOT BREAK ANYTHING! We kept our distance from the open artifacts trays, and everything remained intact.
On our way upstairs to the very cool timeline exhibit, we ran into Mike, one of the archeologists on staff at Dixon Mounds. One of the students brought two spearheads he found in the last month, and Mike was kind enough to take time to examine them and give us more information on them.
I didn't get a photo of the timeline room. This display illustrated how the lifestyle of the native Americans changed as they learned to grow crops and eventually develop a trade system. Kim sent the students on a scavenger hunt to find three different artifacts, and to open up discussion about their social developments.
Next, each of the children made a pot made of clay. Kim explained how to make a pinch pot, a coil pot and animal effigy bowls.
After our program was finished we toured the museum on our own. There is a skydeck, a video display, a darkroom exhibit and a hands-on exploration room.
A favorite was this table where the children set up their own tribal camps along the river and learned what was needed to survive and thrive as a tribe.
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| Native Americans meeting around the fire. |
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| Check out these canoes carved from trees! |
If you have time to make the drive over to Lewiston, it is worth it! Admission to the museum is free, but donations are always welcome!
