Exciting Events at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum This Weekend!

Native American Living Arts Program 

Saturday, June 4

9:00 - 1:00

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum

Workshop fee: $25.00

The last in our series of workshops will take place this Saturday, June 4.  The subject is Star Quilts, with workshop leader Cheryl Savageau.  

Cheryl's quilts have been exhibited at the University of New Hampshire in a contemporary Native Artists' exhibit and at the Abbe Museum's Twisting Path exhibit in Bar Harbor, Maine.

A few spaces are still available.  Please call 603-456-2600 to register.

Cheryl Savageau

Second Sunday Speaker Series

Sunday, June 5 (note: this is the 1st Sunday of the month)

1:00 - 3:00

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum

Admission: Free

For more information, cal 603-456-2600

Our Second Sunday Speaker Series will conclude this Sunday with Cheryl Savageau, whose topic will be Poetry, Storytelling and Cultural Survival.

Cheryl will read from her poetry and discuss the ways they relate to the land, traditional native storytelling, and the survival of Native American cultures.

Cheryl Savageau graduated from Clark University in 1978, where she began writing "by accident" when she signed up for a poetry class through Continuing Education to finish her degree, and discovered that the poetry class was actually a writing class.

Cheryl's  apprenticeship as a writer was through the People's Poets and Artists Workshop in Worcester, MA. She worked for several years as a poet and storyteller in the schools through the Massachusetts Artist in Residence program. Since 1993, she has been a member of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, working as a mentor to apprentice Native writers.

Cheryl has taught at Clark University, Holy Cross College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is now teaching in the Native American Studies Department at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Her current writing projects include a third volume of poetry and a novel about chronic illness.

The Second Sunday Speaker Series in funded by the New Hampshire Humanities Council. 

Turtle Island Summer Day Camp Preview

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum's Turtle Island Summer Day Camp begins its first week-long session Monday, June 27!

Turtle Island Summer Day Camp is where children 6 - 12 experience cultural enrichment, environmental awareness, and outdoor fun.  The camp runs from 9:00 to 3:00, five days a week, June 27 through August 5.

Six weekly sessions are offered.  Here's a preview of what is planned for each session.

Session 1: June 27 - July 1  Archaeology Week
Ancient pictures painted on cave walls, pieces of broken pottery, spear points found in local fields, are all clues from the past.  They are puzzle pieces waiting to be formed into a story.  Investigate what it's like to put those pieces together and discover stories from the people who came before us.

Session 2: July 5 - 8  The Powwow is Coming!
(There is no camp July 4)
Intertribal Powwows are a celebration of Native American culture.  Make a drum, learn a dance, enjoy flute music.  Share a behind-the-scenes look at many of the aspects of Native traditions that will be presented at MKIM's annual Powwow on July 9 - 10.  Campers receive a free pass to the Powwow!

Session 3: July 11 - 15  Land, Lore, and Animals
Habitats determine which animals can live where.  The environment also has an effect on people.  Hike to a beaver pond, trek through the trees, or dream about the desert to discover the ways the land has shaped the culture and traditions of tribes across the country.

Session 4: July 18 - 22  Spin a Story Web
Native American culture has survived in part because of the deeply rooted tradition of storytelling and lore. Stories have been passed down from generation to generation, preserving the integrity of Native culture and its connection with the natural world.  Everyone loves stories.  They open the mind and feed the imagination.  Make your own story pouch and the props that go in it, listen to guest storytellers, and perform a story of your own.

Session 5: July 25 - 29  Living Off the Land
Searching for wild foods, harvesting the garden, and preserving food for winter are important skills for Native Americans and anyone who lives close to the land.  Gather fruits of the season and discover just how many of the foods we eat were introduced by the first people of New Hampshire.

Session 6: August 1 - 5  Games and Challenges
Games can be more than fun.  They can teach important life skills, such as observation, agility, and cooperation.  Make traditional Native American games, then test your brain and body, or work as a team with others.  Make and take home toys that can extend your fun long after the week is over.

Crafts and Water Fun Every Day!  Organic Gardening Every Week!

To download and print a Turtle Island Summer Day Camp brochure and registration form, please visit http://www.indianmuseum.org/education/TurtleIslandCamp2011.htm

You can also call the museum at 603-456-2600 to request a registration form or for further information.

Financial assistance in the form of Partial Camperships are available on a limited basis.  Please call the museum for an application.

Time to Register for Turtle Island 2011 Summer Day Camp!

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum's (MKIM's) Turtle Island Summer Day Camp begins June 27 and runs through August 5, Monday through Friday.


Each weekly session offers campers a chance to experience Native American culture through

• activities and games,
• adventure and exploration,
• storytelling, music, and art.

Each week-long session will include visits from special guests and/or Native American tradition bearers.  The staff ratio is 1 staff member for every 6 campers.  All are staff are trained instructors who have experience with children and are certified in First Aid.


Turtle Island Camp Facilities consist of a program barn which provides space for projects, as well a shelter should it rain.  Campers frequently visit the museum galleries to enhance their learning.  Outdoor exploration takes place on 10 acres of field and forest, including the Medicine Woods Trail, where over 100 plant species used Native people for medicine, food, building materials and shelter can be found. 


For more information about Turtle Island Summer Day Camp, please visit our website, or call 603-456-2600, ext. 226.  On the website you will find a downloadable camp brochure, which includes a registration form.  Discounts are offered for families who register more than one child, as well as for children who attend more than one week of camp.


Turtle Island Camp does offer Financial Assistance in the form of Partial Camperships.  This is available on a limited basis, so be sure to submit your camp registration form as soon as possible!

A Bit of MKIM History

The following is an article written by Andy Bullock, who was a trustee of the museum.  The article is taken from The Trustees' Corner, which appeared in the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum Education and Cultural Center Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 2, Summer 2001.

"On a recent trip to Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum I was reminded of my first visit to Warner, NH.  The [museum's] founder, Bud Thompson and I drove up Route 89, passing many beautiful mountains, lakes and rivers.  Warner was, and is, such a quaint New England village.

"Bud was so excited to show me his "find" that we actually drove right past the local diner in town!  I can assure you, every trip to the museum since then has required a stop for lunch!  Like an anxious child on Christmas morning, Bud drove up the hilly road from town.  "Almost there, almost there!" he said.

MKIM Under Construction, circa 1991

"We pulled into the driveway between the house and the "barn". Keys?  Who needed keys - this was a barn after all, complete with wheelbarrows, sawdust, and pigeons living in the rafters.  Daylight was shining through the roof and the walls, as well as the windows!  Within minutes I was excited as Bud.  The pictures of where the the theater, gift shop and displays would ultimately be located had already been envisioned.  The brambles out back were the future home of "Medicine Woods".  At that time Anna's Garden was an overgrown hayfield.

"My, how far this museum has come!  Think of what Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum means to you.  Everyone who has ever visited this museum has contributed to the spirit of this wonderful place.

"With these historic visions still in mind, I would like to welcome you back for a visit.  The snow has melted and the trees and flowers are in full bloom.  Inside the museum there are also many changes.  Several new staff members greet guests with a warm welcome.  The gift shop is stocked with an exciting selection of crafts, books and treasures.  Look at the progress of Anna's Garden.

"Be sure to notice the recent additions to the museum collection as well.  In keeping with the emphasis on Woodland cultures, two fully outfitted mannequins are now on display.  The male mannequin is dressed in an Ojibwa outfit circa 1890.  The fine detail in the floral beaded leggings and breechclout are breathtaking.  The female mannequin is dressed in a traditional Iroquois outfit.  Rows of beadwork on the leggings and skirt are reminiscent of fine European lace.  The blouse is decorated with beads, ribbon and trade silver.  The Glengarry Bonnet on her head is a superb example of 1890's Iroquois beadwork artistry.

"Catch the spirit all over again.  Take a trip to Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum soon."

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum is a Yankee Magazine "Editors' Choice"!

We were very pleased to learn that Yankee Magazine has named Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum a “Best of New England – Editors’ Choice” winner in the May/June Travel Guide to New England, which appeared on newsstands April 26.  Nearly 2 million readers nationwide read Yankee, and we are thrilled to know that MKIM is being promoted in this way.

Help us celebrate by entering Yankee’s Editors’ Choice Photo Contest.  Take a digital photo of your friends and family posing with the Editors’ Choice placard here in our lobby.  Submit the photo to Yankee Magazine’s Editors’ Choice Photo Contest by August 31 for a chance to win a 5-day getaway!

For more information, and to enter, visit www.yankeemagazine.com/contests

Opening Day and Celebrate the Earth!

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum opened its doors to the public for the 2011 Season Sunday, May 1.  On the same day we had our Celebrate the Earth Festival and our newest exhibit, Along the Basket Trail opened in the Northeast Woodlands Gallery.

Sunday, May 1st was a perfect day for the opening.  The sky was blue, the sun shone, and a cool breeze kept most of the black flies, the New Hampshire State Bird, away from our faces.

A variety of activities and events were presented during the Celebrate the Earth Festival.  Joan O’Connor of Henniker, owner of Joan’s Famous Composting Worms delivered an interesting and entertaining talk about red wrigglers and how they can be used to turn kitchen food waste into rich compost all year round.  Joan also had a tent on the museum grounds where she had worms on display and for sale.

Two guided tours of the Medicine Woods Trail were offered to enthusiastic attendees, and the cover was put on the tipi that stands in our field.  Liz Charlebois demonstrated the art of ash splint basket making while Denise Pouliot taught guests how to weave small fish, using ash splints.  Once the fish were completed, they were put on a string and hung from a fishing pole.  John Crawford and Steve Pitman, our accomplished chefs, had buffalo burgers for sale, while Nicole Stratton ran the Kids’ Crafts Table.

The May Second Sunday Speaker actually spoke on the first Sunday this month because the topic was a perfect tie-in to our new exhibit, Along the Basket Trail. In her presentation, Abenaki Women: Basket Making and Cultural Survival, Sherry Gould talked about the role women have played in keeping Abenaki Culture alive through basket making.  Sherry’s presentation provided an understanding of how traditional values, philosophies, history, and other aspects of the culture of a people are kept alive both by the basket makers of the past and the contemporary basket makers who continue to work with ash to produce baskets that tell the story of Abenaki people in New Hampshire.

To see pictures of the Celebrate the Earth Festival, visit our album on Facebook.