January 12, 2016

Public Invited to Join Heritage Outbound Winter Adventure
 

BISMARCK—The public is invited to join the 2016 Heritage Outbound Winter Adventure, an annual day of activities and learning at Fort Clark State Historic Site and Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site on Saturday, Feb. 20. The event, sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota, costs $65 per person and includes two meals, snacks, and snowshoe use. Preregistration is required by Tuesday, Feb.16 at https://heritageout2016.eventbrite.com.

The day begins with snowshoeing (weather permitting) at Fort Clark State Historic Site and a discussion of events from the historic record of the area, including how the Missouri River has changed its course and the peoples who lived and worked in the village and the Fort. Participants will travel to Knife River Indian Villages, just north of Stanton, for lunch at the visitor center and an afternoon of snowshoeing the trails through Hidatsa villages.

State Historical Society of North Dakota staff Erik Holland and Timothy Reed and Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site staff will lead activities.

Participants will visit the Big Hidatsa village and examine village life near the Knife and Missouri Rivers through the lenses of archaeology, history, and oral tradition. Participants will warm up with hot chocolate while exploring skills, such as striking flint to steel to create sparks for kindling fires.  Amy Mossett, cultural consultant from the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) Nation, will join to discuss some of her experiences as a contemporary woman in Indian Country.

Outside, participants can learn how to use an atlatl to throw spears at buffalo targets. In past years competition between participants has proven that the group may “go hungry or feast depending on their newly acquired skills,” said Erik Holland, curator of education.  Staff plan to install an ice-coated track near the Visitor Center for sliding ice gliders (feathered rib bone darts) in a traditional winter game.

“Participants will experience an unforgettable evening in the earthlodge around a crackling fire,” said Holland. Participants will enjoy a traditional feast while Mossett discusses traditional roles of women in Mandan and Hidatsa culture.  

This outdoor program requires moderate physical activity and is recommended for ages 12 and older. Participants are responsible for their own warm clothing. Find more information at history.nd.gov/events/heritageoutbound.html or contact Erik Holland at 701.328.2792 or eholland@nd.gov.
 

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CONTACT
Erik Holland, 701.328.2792
 

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