Bent’s Old Fort National Historic
Site will celebrate Native American Heritage Month with a full day of
activities on Saturday, November 8. The
event will feature Native American historian and lecturer Michael “Bad Hand”
Terry, living history interpreter Martin Knifechief, and a rare showing of an early
film featuring a cast of over 300 Kiowas and Comanches.
The park will open at 9 am on
November 8, with the first event being a trade scene in the fort’s council room
at 9:30 am featuring Martin Knifechief, followed by a guided tour. Another trade scene with Knifechief will take
place at 12 pm in a tipi outside the fort, again followed by a tour. A final trade scene will be back in the fort
council room at 3 pm, with a final tour offered afterwards.
Beginning at 10 am, Michael “Bad
Hand” Terry will present a unique look at Plains Indian clothing, regalia and
habits. Bad Hand has devoted his life to
learning about and reliving as closely as possible early Native American
culture. His many skills include Native
American historian, lecturer, actor, stuntman, replica maker and artist. Through his presentations, he tries to dispel
many misconceptions, stereotypes and historical inaccuracies while sharing in a
positive, upbeat way what he has learned from his studies and experiences. Bad Hand has written two books on Plains
Indian life and been involved in many movie productions including “Dances with
Wolves,” “Geronimo” and “Last of the Mohicans.”
Bad Hand will continue his presentations at 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm.
Two rangers from Sand Creek Massacre
National Historic Site will present programs during the day. At 11 am Ranger Craig Moore will talk about
William Bent’s Cheyenne descendants.
Moore has spent decades researching the family history and is the
acknowledged expert on this subject. At
2 pm Ranger Jeff Campbell will present Causes & Consequences, Myths &
Misconceptions, 150 Years after the Sand Creek Massacre. Campbell, a former law enforcement
investigator, has researched the event extensively with an investigator’s eye in
order to present a more complete and complex view of the massacre of November
29, 1864. He recently gave this talk at
the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC.
The day’s activities will conclude
at 7 pm at the Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta with a rare showing of the
film “The Daughter of Dawn.” This silent
film, shot in 1920 and thought lost for 85 years, features an all Native
American cast of 300 Kiowas and Comanches.
The tribes, who had been restricted to reservations for less than fifty years, brought their own tipis, horses, clothing and material culture for the filming. Shown less than 25 times, “The Daughter of Dawn” provides a rare chance to glimpse what life might have been like for the tribes when they freely roamed the prairies.
“The park is proud to host this
event focusing on Native Americans,” said Chief of Interpretation Rick
Wallner. “Simply put, without the
tribes, there would have been no Bent’s Fort.
From the very beginning, Native Americans were integral to the location
and operation of the post. We hope
visitors will come out and enjoy this chance to explore how the stories of
Bent’s Fort are completely intertwined with the stories of the tribes of the
Southern Plains.”
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic
Site will be open from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday, November 8. Fees are $3 for adults, $2 for 6-12 year
olds, and free for children under 6.
National Park passes are also accepted.
“The Daughter of Dawn” showing at the Koshare Indian Museum is free,
although donations for the museum will be accepted. At the park, most activities will be outdoors
or in unheated areas, so plan to bring warm clothing in case of cold
weather. There is no food service
available at the park, but there is a picnic area located at the park entrance.
