Native American Days is back! Now in its 41st year, this popular event invites you to experience live performances, traditional art, demonstrations, family-friendly activities, delicious food and more.
The sounds of music, singing and dancing will fill the air throughout the weekend, creating a festive atmosphere that will transform the historic site. The Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi will lead the drum circle while visitors are encouraged to join in the dancing. At the vendor market, you can browse a variety of unique items along with handcrafted jewelry, beadworks and musical instruments from artists with federally recognized Native American Tribes, including:
- Abraham Begay (Navajo Nation)
- Nelson Garcia (Santo Domingo Pueblo)
- William Harjo (Muscogee Creek Tribe)
- Katrina Mitten (Miami Tribe of Oklahoma)
You can also sample delicious foods like Indian tacos, baked goods and more.
Meet archaeology experts and get up close with fascinating Native American artifacts that share stories of Indiana’s past, and see demonstrations from the Southwestern Indiana Master Gardener Association on traditional agricultural practices and companion planting techniques in the Three Sisters Garden. Children can make their own corn husk dolls and try their hand at archery.
Inside the interpretive center, families can discover the story of the people from the Mississippian culture who built and inhabited the site from 1100-1450 A.D., and learn the mounds’ cosmological connection and the special meaning this sacred place still holds today. Outside, you can explore the earthen mounds and take in the natural beauty of the expansive site, which is considered one of the best-preserved pre-contact Native American sites in North America.
Native American Days is supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Partnership Fund.