The annual Native American Days at the Winterville Mounds, an always exciting event for Washington County youth, is quickly approaching.
The three-day event presents an exhilarating opportunity for students to learn about Native American life through crafts, pottery, basket-making, dancing and more.
Former Winterville Mounds Association president Lynn Cox said although it is an event that is usually designed for school groups, visitors are welcome and volunteers are always needed.
This year’s slate of events, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 9-11.
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 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 was an anthropology major at the University of Southern Mississippi and has held the position of Education Coordinator for the Winterville Mounds for nearly two years. Coupled with her experience in youth organizing, her anthropology studies led her to pursuing such a task as education coordinator.
“I think in general, my role here is something that I treasure very much because I grew up in the Delta,” she said. “I know what it’s like to grow up in Delta schools so I treasure this idea that I get to supplement history teachers and be as much help as possible to the school and students.”
Manrriquez added she wants students to be inspired by all this history, especially Native American history, in a society that really puts emphasis and focus on European 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 about Native American civilization. “There were people here with complex systems of agriculture, political systems and family systems.”
Manrriquez said she feels it is important to shine a light on such history.
Another public event, “Night at the Mounds,” will start from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 10 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.
Greenville Garden Club and Junior Auxiliary of Greenville will be on hand to assist and volunteer but additional volunteers are always needed and welcomed.
Registration is required for school groups and space is limited. 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.
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 free.
