ARKANSAS CELEBRATES ARCHEOLOGY WEEK 2000
Arkansas
Archeology Week 2000 was celebrated October 21-29 with 31 different
events at 21 venues throughout the state. The theme for 2000 was "A
Necessity of Life: Clothing," and many of the events were designed to
fit the theme. Events included demonstrations, exhibits, workshops,
slide shows, and open houses and were held at museums, libraries, state
parks, and archeological offices.
Participating state parks included Old Davidsonville, Parkin, Toltec, the Ozark Folk Center, Petit Jean, Queen Wilhelmina, and Blanchard Springs Cavern. Participating museums included the ATU Museum, Russellville; Bella Vista Historical Museum; Museum of Discovery, Little Rock; Turner-Neal Museum of Natural History, UAM; Prairie County Museum, Des Arc; and the University of Arkansas Museum, Fayetteville. Details about some of the activities follow.
The
Arkansas Archeological Survey office in Fayetteville hosted a traveling
exhibit on archeology education from the Society
for American Archaeology, which later was displayed at the Conference
on Teaching in Little Rock. A slide show about fish effigy ceramic vessels
was also presented at the Survey office during the monthly meeting of
the Ko-ko-ci chapter of the Arkansas
Archeological Society.
The Museum and Survey station at Arkansas Tech in Russellville hosted an open house, which included flintknapping and blowgun demonstrations, an exhibit on Cherokee migration, a sock-moccasin craft workshop, and identification of prehistoric artifacts.
Parkin Archeological State Park offered workshops on pottery making and vegetable dyeing, and hosted their annual educational event, called Casqui Days, in which students made crafts, listened to stories, played games, and were given tours of the site.
A
demonstration of archeological remote sensing was conducted at Mt. Comfort
Presbyterian Church, Fayetteville, by University of Arkansas anthropology
professor Ken Kvamme and Survey computer specialist Jami Lockhart, with
assistance from several graduate students. The team demonstrated a variety
of remote sensing technologies, including ground penetrating radar,
magnetometers, and resistance/conductivity meters. Survey archeologist
Jerry Hilliard discussed the results of excavations at Mt. Comfort Church,
which is the site of a Civil War hospital and encampment, as well as
a historic cemetery. About 300 students from nearby Holcomb Elementary
School attended the presentation.
Other
Archeology Week activities included a Power Point computer slide-show
on heritage fashions at Blanchard Springs Cavern; a demonstration of
pearl button making at Lake Charles State Park; a demonstration on the
use of native plants for making dye at Queen Wilhelmina State Park;
a pine needle basket workshop at Toltec Mounds State Park; and a presentation
of Native American clothing and dances by Junior Girl Scout Troop 213
at the Fayetteville Public Library.
