Small pieces of rock slowly filter through the air like dust as a young man skillfully carves away at what will soon be an arrow head. As he practices his flint knapping skills, the woman next to him is engrossed in the basket she is weaving. Across the way, a group of children surround an open archeology pit. The smell of ground corn is in the air.
Such was the scene as students and community members were transported back in time to experience first-hand the traditions and lifestyles of ancient cultures at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures Block Party Saturday.
The museum hosts a party at this time every year in honor of Utah Prehistory Week, which was celebrated last week.
Visitors to the museum participated in hands-on demonstrations which included flint knapping, rock art, lace making, basketry, pottery, corn grinding and face painting. Representatives from the Utah State Archeology Society and the Fremont Indian State Park, as well as other volunteers, many of whom were dressed in authentic costumes, were there to help with these demonstrations.
"My favorite thing was the dig pit," said 8-year-old Abby Jensen who attended the event. "I found an arrowhead."
The party was a great environment for families, with both young and old alike participating in the activities at each booth.
"What I like best about the Block Party is that you get hands-on experience with indigenous technologies," said BYU anthropology professor John Clark. "You gain an appreciation of how they lived their lives in ancient times."
Adrien Mooney, a BYU student majoring in archeology who works at the museum, also thinks it is important for students to learn about these ancient cultures. She encourages students to visit the museum.
"Here in Utah, everyone is so immersed in the Mormon culture," Mooney said. "It is important for them to come and experience other cultures and see how other people live and what they believe."
This year, the museum also offered tours of a new exhibit, "Kachinas of the Southwest: Dances, Dolls, and Rain." The display explores the Pueblo people's belief in Kachinas, ancestral spirits who exist in everything, and are the connecting power between men and gods. Some Kachinas were used to bring rain, some were used to bring a good harvest or a good hunt, and other Kachina's fulfill an entertainment roll.
The museum received the Kachina dolls from a family who had acquired them from a trading booth. Visitors who wish to see the exhibit can tour the museum for free Monday through Friday.
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Copyright Brigham Young University 12 May 2008
