Great Plains Cultures Are Focus of Annual Children’s Festival

Smithsonian Museum Hosts Fun-Filled Day of Dance and Activities
April 22, 2016
News Release
Social Media Share Tools
Children listening to older Native American man

In conjunction with the opening of the exhibition, “Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains,” the National Museum of the American Indian’s George Gustav Heye Center in New York City will host its annual Children’s Festival, focusing on the Native cultures of North America’s Great Plains. The festival is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1, from noon to 5 p.m. each day. Admission to the museum and participation in all activities are free.

Throughout the two-day event, participative round dances will take place around a central tipi constructed in the museum’s rotunda. Inside the tipi, children will be treated to storytelling and cultural tales of the Plains. A special station will also teach children the importance of bison to Native peoples from the area. Many of the activities allow children to exercise their creativity in arts and crafts; some are adapted from activities traditionally used to teach children survival skills. They include:

  • Decorating a paper-bag parfleche (traditionally a hide, especially a buffalo’s hide, dried by being stretched on a frame after the hair has been removed)
  • Creating felt horses and pony-bead bracelets
  • Hoop throws/ring-and-pin games
  • Narrative-art activity centered on the styles within the “Unbound” exhibition

“With so many vibrant Native cultures across the Plains, there is no shortage of material to provide rich learning experiences for our young visitors,” said Shawn Termin (Lakota), the museum’s cultural arts manager. “‘Unbound’ is a fantastic exhibition to couple the activities with because it’s all about telling a meaningful story; children and adults alike will come away with a greater understanding of Plains Nations and their significance within the fabric of our country.”

About the National Museum of the American Indian

The National Museum of the American Indian’s George Gustav Heye Center is located at One Bowling Green in New York City. For additional information, including hours and directions, visit AmericanIndian.SI.edu. Follow the museum via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

# # #

SI-209-2016