The Prehistoric Indian Village and Writing about Native Americans
The Prehistoric Indian Village is a less-attended tourist attraction in Mitchell, South Dakota, than The Corn Palace, but I probably enjoyed it more. I have always had a special place in my heart for minorities like Native Americans, and I've taught about them in my American history classes. Because of my background in history, I may not have found a lot of new information in the museum, but I still enjoyed seeing what they had and refreshing my memory.
The museum gives a visual record of the way of life of the earliest Indians in South Dakota. Many such early civilizations had a corn culture, supplemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering. However, hunting and large game became more important to the first inhabitants of South Dakota, and that meant hunting the bison. Of course, corn, fishing, and gathering were used as supplemental food sources.
One of the things that makes this museum special is that it's a working archaeological site tourists can visit. In a separate building, you can walk the perimeters, look down, and observe the excavation as well as see some of the artifacts they've uncovered on display. The site was actually discovered by a student at Dakota Wesleyan University in 1910, and students from different universities still work the site. If you're ever in Mitchell, South Dakota, I would recommend a visit.
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Bull boat - made from a single bison skin, stretched over tree limbs
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I have included Native American characters in twelve of my historical novels, and there will be more to come. You can find the list below. Click on the name to be taken to the link. Sometime in the future, I would like to go back to those early days in America and write a novel with mostly or all Indian characters, but my schedule is full for the next two years. As I often tell those who ask where I come up with my ideas, I have more ideas than I'll ever get to write, even though I've published seventy books (counting preorders) in nine years.
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