Museum of the Americas exhibit

March 11, 2013 by Jennifer Retter

Museum of the Americas presents Beads and Rawhide: Heritage of the Plains Indians from March 9-August 3, 2013.

The Plains Indians we know from film and books are defined by the advent of the horse in the 17th and 18th centuries, horses which were introduced to the New World by the Spaniards. Plains Indians were primarily nomadic and ranged across the vast tableland of grass stretching from Northern Alberta, Canada, south into Texas. These Indians were dependent upon hunting the buffalo which supplied their food, clothing, shelter, and even fuel. With increasing numbers of white settlers competing for their lands, a short but bloody chapter in American history ensued. The buffalo were slaughtered by the millions, Indians were moved to reservations, and the Twentieth century was a time when the governments of Canada and the United States made every effort to “civilize”, and integrate them into modern life.

This exhibit presents an overview of the Plains Indians from the period of the horse and buffalo to the present. It is an effort to portray the struggles of these peoples to maintain their language, culture, and craft despite more than a century of cultural suppression.

Museum of the Americas is located at 216 Fort Worth Hwy., Weatherford. Hours are 10-5 on Monday through Friday and 11-4 on Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, call 817-341-8668 or visit www.museumoftheamericas.com.