Larry Yazzie (pictured) and Native Pride Dancers will be the featured entertainment at Turkey River Archaeo-Blitz at the North Fayette Valley Elementary/Middle School near Elgin Saturday, April 22. (submitted photo)
The pulsating sound of drums and Native American songs will soon echo across the Turkey River valley as they once did centuries ago. Those attending the Turkey River Archaeo-Blitz at the North Fayette Valley Elementary/Middle School near Elgin Saturday, April 22, will have the opportunity to witness the traditional dance, arts, craftsmanship and food of the Indigenous people who once roamed the area.
In partnership with the Elgin Historical Society (EHS), the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) returns to Elgin to host the second Turkey River Archaeo-Blitz.
“The April 22 event represents the culmination of a nearly 18-month-long collaboration between the Office of the State Archaeologist and the Elgin Historical Society,” said John Doershuk, OSA director and state archaeologist. “It has been a mutually beneficial effort to further the interests of the EHS Tribes of the Turkey River project and OSA’s ongoing responsibility to identify, document, and preserve significant data about Iowa’s past.”
The OSA has partnered with the EHS to assist them in learning more about the area’s Indigenous history and how to best document, interpret and communicate the knowledge they already have based on family collections of artifacts and ethnographic objects and the locations of where these artifacts were found. To fulfill this effort, the EHS launched the Tribes of the Turkey River Project, a multi-year effort.
During the April 22 family-friendly event, Native American arts and crafts demonstrations will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, the OSA welcomes the public to bring artifacts for identification and to further document the presence of these early people. At the same time, they can learn amore bout the Tribes of the Turkey River Interpretive Center project, planned for the second level of the EHS museum.
Featured entertainment
The day’s featured entertainment will be Larry Yazzie and Native Pride Dancers, who will perform from 2 to 3 p.m. Yazzie of the Meskwaki Nation has created a platform for Indigenous Performing Artists to share their talent with the world. He leads a dynamic talented roster of cultural educators, musicians, dancers and singers who are members of numerous tribal nations including Meskwaki, Navajo, Dakota, Lakota, Ojibwe, Lumbee, Cree, Pueblo, Choctaw and Chickasaw, to name a few. Native Pride also collaborates with many established and up and coming artists throughout Indian country and from the mainstream stage.
The Native Pride Dancers’ mission is to educate, inspire, motivate, and empower diverse communities to bridge cultural gaps through Indigenous traditions. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to feel the excitement and experience the artistry of The Native Pride Dancers as they perform flamboyant movements passed down by their ancestors thru song and dance.
Complete with colorful regalia, the group strives to educate and entertain audiences about the beauty, skill and majesty of Native American music and dance while creating a moving artistic experience that engages the audience.
As part of the event, Indigenous foods will be served in the school cafeteria from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (or until they run out of food). A freewill donation will go toward the Elgin Historical Society’s Tribes of the Turkey River Interpretive Center.
“The public will want to join us for a wonderful and unique opportunity– to experience a small bit of what tribal life in Northeast Iowa might have been,” said Marilyn Schaer, EHS president. “The NFV Middle School, as it overlooks the Turkey River bottom, is the perfect setting to stretch a person’s imagination, while experiencing the food, crafts and dancing that may have been a part of the lives of some of the earliest people to our beautiful valley.”
“The Iowa State Archaeologist, John Doershuk and his staff, specifically Elizabeth Reetz, have arranged for this special event in partnership with the Elgin Historical Society,” she added. “We very much appreciate their efforts to provide the activities that focus local attention on the Winnebago, Sac and Fox tribes who canoed our river, and hunted and lived here. These early tribes will be represented by their descendants, the Meskwaki and HoChunk Nations.”
John Doershuk, OSA director and state archaeologist, emphasized both the Meskwaki Nation and Ho-Chunk Nation strongly identify with the Turkey River valley as an important part of their traditional homelands. He explained both nations have been eager participants in the grant-funded activities that will be showcased April 22, which demonstrates historical connectedness to the area and that these Indigenous peoples continue to be vibrant parts of modern American society.
“OSA is grateful for the interest EHS and Elgin-area community members have in recording locally known archaeological site information and the energy the many volunteers continue to bring to the project,” he concluded. “We are certain that long after the current grant-funded activities come to a close there will be sustained information sharing between EHS and OSA.”
The initial Turkey River Archaeo-Blitz took place in downtown Elgin in October 2022. In addition to having archaeologists provide artifact identifications and care tips for collections, the public had the opportunity to hear from guest presenters, and confidentially record site locations and share stories about family artifacts.
The OSA uses the term “archeo-blitz” to describe the process of rapidly providing information to the public regarding artifact identification, artifact care, and archaeological site recordation at a single outreach event. All archaeological sites documented at the event are added to the Iowa Site File maintained by OSA and their locations remain confidential. Seven OSA staff members and four University of Iowa Department of Anthropology undergraduate students are participating in the archaeo-blitz.
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