DNR
Home PageTWO INDIAN TRIBES WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ART PROJECT
AT VAN METER STATE PARK IN MAY
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., APRIL 22, 2008 -- The second and third of nine American Indian symbols to be painted for a permanent exhibit will be completed on May 3 and May 17 at Van Meter State Park near Miami, Mo. Each artist will give a presentation at 10 a.m. on these days in Missouri's American Indian Cultural Center at the park. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, these events are free and open to the public.
An artist from the Kaw Nation will be the second artist to paint a symbol on a large bison hide, which is a permanent exhibit in Missouri's American Indian Cultural Center, on May 3. On May 17, Anita Field from the Osage Nation of Oklahoma will be the featured artist. Both artists will explain the meaning of their tribe's symbol. These artists represent two of the nine American Indian tribes that once lived in Missouri. All nine tribes will eventually use the hide as a canvas to represent their tribe for the "Introduction to Resident Tribes of Missouri -- Bison Hide" exhibit.
Traditionally, American Indians would paint symbols and pictures on a hide to record an important event or tell a story about some aspect of their life. Each tribal council will approve a simple emblem representing its people and appoint an artist to come to Missouri to paint it on the hide. The symbol can either be traditional or contemporary. The nine tribes interpreted at the center include the Missouria, Osage, Ioway, Delaware, Peoria-Illinois, Kanza, Kickapoo, Shawnee and Sac and Fox.
From May through September, Missouri's American Indian Cultural Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Van Meter State Park is located 12 miles northwest of Marshall on Highway 122. For more information, contact the park at 660- 886-7537 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.
