First Nebraskans Living History
Programs

by

Spirit in the Wind

"First Nebraskans Living History Program Demonstration" - a unique educational experience with  hands-on fun. Our program covers the first people of Nebraska from Clovis nearly 12,000 years ago up to the reservation period of the late 1800's. An overview complete with skills demonstrations, replica tools,  and flintknapped points representative of the various historical and pre-historical eras in Nebraska and the great plains. Designed especially for school groups, youth organizations, and camps, but fun and educational for all ages.

Click here for information about the instructors

Click here for pictures from past programs

Some of the topics demonstrated will include:

• Firemaking
  see how fire was made using nothing more than wood and a piece of leather
   

• Flintknapping
  learn how arrowheads were crafted from native Nebraska rocks using nothing more than antler and stone tools. See replicas of various point styles used throughout Nebraska pre-history
   

• Edible and Medicinal Uses of Plants
  see specimens of native plants and learn some of their Native American uses such as; poison ivy remedy, toothache remedy, plants used for food, plants used to make teas, plants used for dyes, and more.
   

• Atlatl Throwing
  hands-on fun learning to throw the atlatl, a hand held lever which was used to throw spears thousands of years before the bow and arrow was invented
   

• Bows & Arrows
  see bows and arrows made entirely from native materials and arrows painted yellow with the juice from the Prickly Poppy plant (the Lakota called it "thistle used to dye arrows yellow")
   

• Pottery
  see our line of replica pots made from native Nebraska clays and fired in an open pit, the way it was done the old way. Our pottery covers the era from the Woodland (the first potters), to Central Plains cord-paddle (the village farmer period), up to some of the protohistoric pottery manufactured by the Pawnee
   

• Tipi
  sit in an actual Sioux replica 18 ft. tipi and learn how smoke flaps were used much as we use dampers to control fireplaces today
   

• Various Replicas
  including buffalo horn spoons, brain tanned buffalo robe, cordage, basketry, and fire drills made from yuccas, and much mor.
  
   

(approximately 2 hours in length)