A new traveling exhibit brings to life the ancient Indian history of bison hunting, as practiced for thousands of years on the Colorado High Plains.  Awakening Stories of Ancient Bison Hunting presents insights and interpretations offered by archaeologists, American Indians, and bison ecologists regarding the Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bonebed, one of the largest arroyo hunting sites known in the Americas from the Late Archaic Period located near Windsor, Colorado. The intent of this exhibit is to encourage visitors to recognize our different ways of knowing these cultural sites and promote our diversity as a people.

The Northern Colorado Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is proudly assisting Professor Lawrence Todd (Colorado State University) and his colleagues with the public dissemination of archaeological research conducted at the Kaplan-Hoover site. This interpretive program also recognizes American Indian traditional knowledge as necessary for broadening our understanding of this site. Awakening Stories features a selection of traditional cultural items made from buffalo materials prepared especially for this exhibit by Mark Soldier Wolf (Northern Arapaho Nation), Leroy White Man (Northern Cheyenne Nation), and Kelly Looking Horse (Oglala Lakota Nation). These items and accompanying messages convey the strong connection that American Indians maintain with the buffalo and with their ancestral past. The development of Awakening Stories has also served to acknowledge High Plains Indian tribes as interested stakeholders in the long-term preservation of this significant cultural site.

Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bonebed is recognized for its importance in furthering our understanding of Late Archaic Period bison hunting on the Colorado High Plains. This designation also made the site eligible for a grant award from the Colorado Historical Society - State Historical Fund to complete a land purchase and secure the site's long-term preservation. Local support from the River Ridge West Homeowners Association, which currently manages the conservation easement established for this property, has also played a key part in this preservation plan.

Parallel to the theme of site preservation, Awakening Stories of Ancient Bison Hunting also highlights tribal programs aimed at restoring bison herds for the health and well-being of American Indians. This is more extensively explored in the accompanying documentary film, American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation, produced by the National Wildlife Federation.

Awakening Stories of Ancient Bison Hunting is sponsored by the Northern Colorado Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society, and was made possible with generous funding and support provided by the Colorado Historical Society - State Historical Fund, Colorado Endowment for the Humanities, Colorado Archaeological Society, City of Greeley Museums, and Color Key Displays, Inc.


Contacts:

bulletExhibit Design:  Mary Jo Zeidler, jmjzeidler@msn.com
bulletArchaeological Research:  Dr. Lawrence Todd, lctodd@lamar.colostate.edu or (970)491-5110; CSU Dept. of Anthropology (970)491-5447

Exhibit Rental Information:

For information on the renting this exhibit, including specifications, special requirements, and fees, please contact

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City of Greeley Museums (970)350-9220, email museums@greeleygov.com

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City of Greeley Museums website:  http://www.greeleymuseums.com 

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City of Greeley Museums exhibits web page:
http://www.greeleygov.com/cog/PageServiceDetails.asp?fkOrgID=54&SDID=5