American Indian Heritage Day 2021
Programs
September 24, 2021 10:00am - 2:30pm
Livestream at 12:00pm
Join the Bullock Museum and Great Promise for American Indians in a celebration of the 9th Annual American Indian Heritage Day!
Event Details
With House Bill 174, the Texas State Legislature named the last Friday in September American Indian Heritage Day, which recognizes the historic, cultural, and social contributions American Indian communities and leaders have made to the state.
The day will feature a range of activities with dancing and drumming performances and interactive experiences for school groups at the Museum, as well as on-demand digital resources and a livestream of the performance at 12:00 p.m. that you can use to celebrate virtually at home or at school.
Celebrate at the Museum
Discover the diversity of native groups that have called Texas home and find out more about groups currently living in Texas. Explore the exhibitions and visit learning stations about cultural traditions including storytelling, clothing decoration, and art creation. Celebrating in the classroom?
Call (512) 463-6712 or email reservations@thestoryoftexas.com to plan your field trip to this FREE program. Space is limited, so sign up early. Reservations open August 2, see session schedules below.
| Morning Session | Afternoon Session |
|---|---|
|
10:00 a.m. arrival |
11:30 a.m. arrival |
|
10:30 a.m. performance |
12:00 p.m. performance |
|
1:00 p.m. departure |
2:30 p.m. departure |
Please note:
Homeschool information: Homeschool groups are welcome on American Indian Heritage Day and may receive school group rates without assembling a group of 10. Make a field trip reservation here at least two weeks in advance in order to receive our school group rate of complementary exhibition admission for teachers and students, regardless of the number of people in your group. Questions? Email Reservations@TheStoryofTexas.com or call (512) 463-6712.
Arriving at the Museum without a reservation? You are still invited to participate in the activities, which will be free with exhibition admission. Please visit the Ticketing counter upon arriving.
Parking information: The underground parking garage entrance is located on 18th Street on the south side of the Museum. The cost is $10 for full-day parking (no re-entry). We suggest carpooling if possible, as the garage can fill to capacity on special days like American Indian Heritage Day.
Celebrate in the Classroom
The day will feature a range of on-demand resources that celebrate the traditional and contemporary performance arts of Texas's American Indian groups, including dancing performances, a curator talk, storytelling, artmaking, and learning activities to explore at home or in school. Join our livestream on the Bullock Museum YouTube channel to virtually attend the 12:00 p.m. performance.
Missed the event? The livestream video will remain available on the Bullock Museum YouTube channel.
Bullock Museum craft activities
(~10-15 minutes)
Form a coil pot from clay using Caddo pottery as inspiration.
Activity materials: Air-dry Clay, PlayDough, or Model Magic, plastic knife, and toothpick
VIEW HERE
Make a patterned armband inspired by American Indian beadwork.
Activity materials: Bullock Museum Armband template, scissors, tape, and 3 colors of markers or crayons
VIEW HERE
Create your own "bison hide art" to tell a story.
Activity materials: Construction paper, paper grocery bag, or fabric, scissors, and markers or crayons
VIEW HERE
Great Promise for American Indians video tutorials
(~15-25 minutes)
Make a corn husk doll while learning about the Haudenosaunee origin story of the Corn Husk Doll.
Activity materials: 5 corn husks, scissors, string, felt sheet (optional), and bowl of water
VIEW HERE
Create a dreamcatcher and learn about the story of this traditional native craft.
Activity materials: hoop at least 3 inches in diameter, 1 spool of 1/8 inch ribbon, 1-3 beads for decoration, 1 feather, and scissors
VIEW HERE
Try your hand at beading by crafting a pony bead keychain in the shape of a lizard.
Activity materials: plastic cord, key chain ring, scissors, and total of 50 pony beads: 36 green pony beads for body, 12 orange or yellow pony beads for feet, 2 black pony beads for eyes
VIEW HERE
Native Cultures in Texas presentation 75 minutes
Join a Bullock Museum educator and the Becoming Texas curator for previously recorded presentation to compare the ways of life of diverse American Indian peoples who called Texas home. Take a close look at the artifacts that tell the story of the development of native communities in Texas.
View Here
Storytelling presentation 60 minutes
Join Chickasaw storyteller, Amy Bluemel, for a previously recorded storytelling session that explores traditional stories and history. Amy travels the United States educating about Southeastern people and other native tribes. This event will bring history and culture to life!
View Here
Great Promise for American Indians, Dance Performance 17 minutes
Discover the history and personal stories of contemporary American Indian dancers.
View Here
Jeri Redcorn, Caddo pottery 2 minutes
Jeri Redcorn is recognized nationally and internationally for reviving Caddo pottery. Here she shares the clays, techniques, and tools her Caddo ancestors would have used.
VIEW HERE
Miranda Nax’ce Meyer, Tonkawa beading 1 minute
Miranda Nax’ce Meyer of the Tonkawa Tribe shares the importance of traditional bead work and its role in keeping Tonkawa culture alive.
VIEW HERE
Projectile Point 1 minute
Discovered in central Texas, this stone point with a broken tip was made at least 16,000 years ago. This one small point challenges our ideas of when humans arrived in Texas.
VIEW HERE
La Belle 6 minutes
Archaeologists located the sunken 17th century French ship La Belle and began a decades-long process of excavating, recovering, and conserving the ship's hull, along with more than 1.6 million artifacts.
VIEW HERE
Saint Francis Santo 1 minute
The Franciscans in the missions of San Antonio used figures such as this Santo of St. Francis to communicate their faith to the American Indian groups of Texas.
VIEW HERE
Mission Gate 1 minute
A master craftsman with a high level of expertise in woodworking made this pair of mesquite gates for a mission.
VIEW HERE
Eric Tippeconnic, Comanche artist 5 minutes
Filled with symbolism and meaning, Eric Tippeconnic's paintings highlight the strength, beauty, and grace of the Comanche past and present.
VIEW HERE
- Discover the history of American Indians on the Texas History Timeline
- Use the Bullock Educator Guide to access resources and materials on teaching about American Indians
- Explore artifacts related to American Indian culture and history
- Dive into the story of American Indian history and culture in Texas
- Check out our recommended children's book list for your next storytime
Educators: To receive CPE credit, email Education@TheStoryofTexas.com
Your Support Matters
Help us continue to share the story of Texas through free programs with a tax-deductible donation.
Enjoy discounts, exclusive programs, and free access to exhibitions year round by becoming a member of the Bullock Museum.
The Bullock Texas State History Museum is a division of the Texas State Preservation Board. Additional support for educational programming provided by the Texas State History Museum Foundation.
School Field Trips presented by The John M. O'Quinn Foundation.
School Programs are generously funded by Featured Sponsors The Marie M. and James H. Galloway Foundation, Supporting Sponsors The Honorable Kent R. Hance and The William Stamps Farish Fund, and Contributing Sponsor The Burdine Johnson Foundation.
