Northwest Ohio's Native American heritage will be celebrated and shared this weekend at Buttonwood Park in Perrysburg.
The third annual gathering, "They Walked Here Before Us: A Woodland Indian Celebration," will feature the music, dance, crafts, games, foods, and clothing of the Native Americans who lived here long ago, along with a traditional 17th and 18th-century Woodland village populated with historical re-enactors.
The village will be larger than in past years and will include more demonstrations, said Jamie Oxendine, president of the Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation, one of the event sponsors. The public will see skills including flintknapping (chipping stones into shapes for use as arrows, spears, or knives) and atl atl (throwing a spear that has a handle for better leverage.)
Music will be provided by native flutist Douglas Blue Feather, the White Oak Singers, and Painted Turtle.
Oxendine said the gathering is intended to promote the history and culture of the Woodland people who lived in the region, and to educate the public about the differences between them and the Plains Indians who are more often depicted in television and movies.
"Probably the biggest difference is the type of shelter," he said, explaining that Plains Indians lived in large conical teepees while Woodland Indians primarily used rounded, dome-shaped wigwams covered with hides, mats woven from reeds and tall grasses that grew along the river, and later, canvas acquired from European traders.
A new feature of this year's expanded village will be a lacrosse/double ball field. Children's craft activities also have been increased, and an exhibit of birds of prey will run both days, up from one day last year.
Gates open Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. The grand entry - a parade of native dancers, singers, and drummers - will begin at 1 p.m. each day.
The third annual "They Walked Here Before Us: A Woodland Indian Celebration" will be held Saturday and Sunday at Buttonwood Park on River Road/State Rt. 65, 1.2 miles west of Fort Meigs State Memorial. Hours are 11 a.m. to dusk on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for children 6-11 and seniors 60 and over, and free for children 5 and under. Parking is $1. No pets will be allowed. Information: 419-381-7042, or e-mail questions to perrysburgpowwow@hotmail.com.
First Published September 29, 2005, 10:35 a.m.
