Fundraising Auction and Social Oct. 22, 6:30 at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum will hold its first fundraising auction and social this Saturday, Oct. 22 at 6:30 at the museum at 18 Highlawn Road, Warner, NH.  Peter Smith Auctioneer Services will be on hand for the live portion of the auction.  Silent auction tables will be set up in the museum galleries.  Refreshments will be served and there will be live music at this gala event.  

The museum recently purchased the buildings and grounds at 18 Highlawn Road that have been home to the museum for the past 21 years. This purchase will ensure that New Hampshire’s only museum and educational center devoted to the art, culture and long history of North American Indians will have a permanent home.  The first $10,000 raised in the auction will be committed to the land purchase.

Items for auction include signed limited edition artwork by Native and non-Native artists, snowshoes, a beaded cradleboard by Andrew Bullock, ash and sweetgrass baskets, silver, turquoise and beaded jewelry, dreamcatchers, a commissioned painting by Betsy Janeway, boat rental and rides, life tickets, a day in the studio of David Lamb, gift certificates to local businesses and much, much more.  See a complete listing on our website.

Admission to the auction is $10.00 for museum members and $15.00 for non-members.  Consider becoming a member today!

Tickets can be purchased at our online gift shop, or by calling (603) 456-2384.

For more information about the auction, visit our Auction Page or call (603) 456-2384.




Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum would like to thank our generous Auction Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors: Harold and Betsy Janeway
Silver Sponsors: Virginia Theo-Steelman and David Steelman, Mascoma Savings Bank
Bronze Sponsor: Merrimack County Savings Bank


We also wish to thank our providers:
Peter Smith, Auctioneer
Schoolhouse Café, Caterers
The Cabbageheads, Musicians

Our Fundraising Auctions!

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum's Online Fundraising Auction is now open, with many wonderful items ready for your bids!

The Live Auction will be held October 22 at 6:30 at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum.  Join us for an evening of food, drinks, fun, and the chance to bid on a wide variety of fine Native or Native-related items.

We will have both a silent auction and a traditional auction that evening.

Get your tickets for the auction now - they're going fast!  Tickets are $10.00.  Call (603) 456-2384 to get yours now!

Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum's Medicine Woods Trail

(This entry is the first of a series dedicated to MKIM's Medicine Woods Trail.)

In 1991 volunteers reclaimed what had been a farm dumping ground in a wooded area on the grounds of Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum and began its conversion into a tranquility zone.  More than 100 species of plants now grow on this 2.5-acre plot.  Some were sources of medicine, some supplemented the diet of the Northeast Woodlands Indians, and some provided building material from which native people built canoes, boxes, baskets, and their homes.

When visitors to the museum walk the path through Medicine Woods they are encouraged to look, listen, smell, and feel the elements of the forest.  It is our hope that they will experience what many before them have enjoyed - a sense of peace, a feeling of connection to the land, and an appreciation of its healing properties.

Native elders say that the earth not only provides teas and poultices to heal the body, but also a peace that heals the soul.  Visitors to Medicine Woods have told us that walking along the path that winds through the forest have given them a feeling of traquility.  They also remark that they leave the Woods inspired by Native philosophy not to be just takers, but caretakers of the land.

1996 Rededication of the Medicine Woods

Our 12th Annual Intertribal Powwow, July 9 & 10, 2011

Here's a BIG THANK YOU from all of us at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum to everyone who made the 12th Annual Intertribal Powwow 2011, our biggest event of the year, a success! Over the course of the weekend 1100 spectators came to watch the dancing, listen to the singers, and tour the Museum and Medicine Woods. Forty-two volunteers generously gave a total of 620 hours before, during, and after the Powwow.  These hard working individuals assisted with the many tasks that were required to made the Powwow run smoothly. Our thanks go to the 250 participants whose singing and dancing were the very heart of the Powwow. Legion Post 39 provided the Color Guard for the Powwow.  They carried the colors into the sacred circle at the beginning of the Grand Entry Saturday and Sunday, and retired the colors at the end of each day. Several of the native veterans present were invited to participate with Post 39.  We are grateful for their contribution. Finally, we'd like to offer our congratulations to the newly chosen head dancers for Powwow 2012. The Head Man Dancer will be Jason Lantagne. Takara Matthews will be the Head Lady Dancer.  We are looking forward to working with Jason and Takara.  They will soon begin to work with the Powwow Committee, planning for Powwow 2012. Speaking of the Powwow Committee - if you are interested in joining the committee, please call MKIM at 456-2600.  Experience is helpful, but not required. The last tent has been put away and the last recycling bin has been hauled to the Transfer Station.  Now it's time to look ahead to our 13th Annual Intertribal Powwow.  Mark your calendars; Powwow 2012 is scheduled for July 14th & 15th. We'll see you there!

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!

Baskets Out Of The Attic: a Discovery and Documentation Event

Please come to Warner Saturday, March 26 for Baskets Out of the Attic, which will be held in the Warner Town Hall at 5 East Main St. from 9:00 - 3:00.

Do you have old baskets tucked away in your attic or closets?  Whether you know their history or are curious to find out more about them, please come to this day-long event.  Experts will be on hand to tell you more about your baskets.  They will also complete a documentation form for you, including a photo.

If you plan to attend, you are encouraged to bring your entire basket collection to the event.  Our experts will select three of your most interesting baskets to evaluate at a cost of $5.00 per basket.  Monetary appraisals will not be given.

Providing their expertise for Baskets Out of the Attic will be Gaby Pelletier, scholar on northeastern Native American baskets and traditions and Chris Bullock of The Wandering Bull, LLC.  Chris is an authority on contemporary American Indian crafts.

Baskets Out of the Attic is sponsored by Hopkinton Historical Society, Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum, Warner Historical Society, and Wijokadoak, Inc. in preparation for the 2011 Summer Exhibit, Along the Basket Trail, which will be held jointly at the three museums.  The exhibits open May 1 and will include a series of speakers and demonstrations throughout the summer at each location.

For more information about Baskets Out of the Attic or Along The Basket Trail, please go to TheBasketTrail.com .