Would you like to learn how to throw a tomahawk, create a bark basket, or welcome the sun at a Summer Solstice Sunrise? Families visiting the Fort Ancient site in southwest Ohio will find much more than museum displays. Programs developed to explain the Native American culture of the past also allow participation in activities that are fun for the whole family.
“The children are so in awe of the dancers, the sounds of the drums. You can see the excitement in their faces as they mimic the steps,” says Jack Blosser, site manager.
As many as 100 Native Americans in full regalia dance at the Fort Ancient Celebration each year. Held on the second weekend in June, the event is an official Native American gathering. Vendors offer Native American foods and standard picnic fare, and there are plenty of opportunities for both parents and kids to test their skills at tomahawk and spear throwing, archery and double ball. Listen to storytellers or watch craft demonstrations in a shady grove of trees.
Fort Ancient has participatory educational or craft programs almost every weekend with special craft sessions on the fourth Saturday of each month led by a group of Cherokee grandmothers who teach skills such as wampum beading, basket making, or shell carving — a different craft each month.
Nominated for World Heritage status along with three other Hopewell Culture sites in Ohio, some of the Fort Ancient weekend programs have archaeological themes. And in July, Wright State University researchers led by Dr. Robert Riordan will provide walking tours and information on their most recent finds. Not exactly Indiana Jones, but great fun for inquiring minds.