For immediate release
For more information: Cindy Gregg, 605-996-5473
ARCHAEOLOGY AWARENESS WEEKEND TO TAKE PLACE AT MITCHELL PREHISTORIC INDIAN VILLAGE MUSEUM ON JUNE 8-9, 2024
Two-day event showcases ongoing archaeological research as well as Native American traditions
Mitchell, SD—Archaeology Awareness Weekend will take place at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village National Historic Landmark on June 8-9, providing visitors with the opportunity to learn more about the ongoing archaeological research at the Village as well as early Native American cultures. The event will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on both days.
The two-day event will showcase technologies used by the original inhabitants of the Village, including flint knapping, pottery construction, atlatl throwing and other on-site demonstrations showing how some of the first people to occupy the upper Great Plains lived. Visitors will also have an opportunity to meet the students and archaeologists from the University of Exeter England who are engaged in archaeological research at the site, and to discuss archaeological techniques, discoveries and artifacts. There will also be activities geared toward children.
This year, the Watecha Food Truck will also be at the two-day event. The only Native American focused restaurant in South Dakota, they will cook and serve Indian tacos, Indian burgers, bison stew, frybread, and other Native foods.
“We are really looking forward to this weekend and the opportunity to share with others the ongoing discoveries of the excavation as well as the history of this site and the people who lived here 1,000 years ago,” said Cindy Gregg, the executive director of the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village.
The Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village, located north of Mitchell, South Dakota, is the only active archaeological site in South Dakota that is open to the public. A National Historic Landmark and National Trust for Historic Preservation site, it was occupied over 1,000 years ago by Native Americans who lived in earthen lodges. The occupants of the Village were skilled farmers, who helped develop early strains of corn as well as beans, squashes, sunflower, tobacco and amaranth. There are an estimated 70 to 80 lodges buried on the grounds of the site.
The site includes the Boehnen Memorial Museum, which houses a reproduction earth lodge, and the Thomsen Center Archeodome, which contains the remains of several earth lodges.
Children 17 and under are admitted free of charge, adults $10, seniors 65+ $5, students 18+ w/school ID $4. For directions go to our website at www.mitchellindianvillage.org
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