Winterville Mounds’ Native American Days starts today, but Thursday and Friday’s activities may be impacted by an incoming cold front.
According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, there could be scattered showers on Friday turning into storms overnight and into Saturday morning.
Forecasters say the timing models to predict the storm are still uncertain at this point, but there is no doubt a large cold front is moving in.
Winterville Mounds officials say the activities will remain at the mound complex, but Thursday’s Night at the Mounds event is weather dependent.
Because of the current burn ban in effect, there will not be an actual bonfire at the event. The cloudy skies might also impact the astronomical viewing station that night.
The three-day event presents an exhilarating opportunity for students to learn about Native American life through crafts, pottery, basket-making, dancing and more.
Although it is an event designed for school groups, visitors are always welcome.
This year’s slate of events, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily today through Friday.
Winterville Mounds Education Coordinator Jessica Manrriquez said the purpose of the event is to teach local youth about its local Native American history and culture.
“The goal is to teach students around the Delta about Southeastern Native American cultures. A lot of times, history can be really passive, but with Native American Days, teachers have an opportunity to bring history alive by bringing kids out here,” Mannriquez previously said.
Mississippi, culturally and geographically, bears a history extremely rich in influences of Native American society, from the names of counties and rivers to the landscape of different regions such as Natchez and Cahokia.
While there are a number of activities for students to participate in during Native American Days, Manrriquez said one of the most popular activities is watching one of the featured groups for that day perform traditional dances.
During the dances, students are even encouraged to participate and dance along with the group.
Manrriquez said she hopes students will be inspired by the region’s Native American history.
“At the highest point for Cahokia (an Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe), they had more people living there than in London during the same time,” Manrriquez explained. “There were people here with complex systems of agriculture, political systems and family systems.”
If the “Night at the Mounds” is able to take place, it will start from 6-8 p.m. Thursday in the Mounds’ Park Area. The Muscogree Creek Nation will tell stories and dance around the great fire. Also, astronomer Dr. Maria Webber of Wiley Planetarium at Delta State University, will be guiding people through the cosmos and planets using telescopes and tying in some of the observations with Native American culture.
Registration is required for school groups planning to attend. To register, call 662-334-4684 or email info@wintervillemounds.com.
About Winterville Mounds
Winterville Mounds is a 42-acre site near Greenville, featuring 12 prehistoric Native American mounds, two large plazas, and a museum. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History today operates the site.
Named for a nearby community, Winterville Mounds is the site of a prehistoric ceremonial center built by a Native American civilization that thrived from about A.D. 1000 to 1450.
In 1939, the Greenville Garden Club led a county-wide campaign to purchase the site to prevent further destruction by farm practices and highway construction.
Supported by the Winterville Mounds Association, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (formerly the Mississippi Park Commission) operated Winterville as a state park from 1960 until 2000, when the property was conveyed to MDAH.
In 1993, Winterville Mounds was designated a National Historic Landmark.
The visitors center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
The grounds of the site are open to the public daily from dawn until dusk. Admission is always free.
