April through June 2008 April | May | June APRIL Top of Page | May | June Film Festival Saturday, April 5   2:00pm and Sunday, April 6   2:00pm Part 4 of our 6-part Film Festival from the TBS series the Native Americans. Hear the stories of the Buffalo People who roamed the prairie grasslands and whose survival depended on the bison as told by their descendants: the Crow, Comance, Sioux, Kiowa and Arapaho, and experience the culture of the People of the Plains: Buffalo People and Dog Days. Film length: 50 minutes Fee: included in regular museum admission the History of Herbal Medicine Sunday, April 6   1:00pm - 2:30pm Herbal medicine has a long, rich and diverse history.  Local herbalist Lupo Connell will present a lecture on the history of natural and herbal medicine beginning with the ancient Egyptians and ending in today’s modern world.  The importance of the spice trade, as well as biblical herbs, will be covered.  This presentation will also include the healing philosophies of many cultures throughout the world - including Native American - and their contribution to modern herbalism and medicine. CT Educators may earn 0.15 CEUs. Fee: $15; $12 members the Return of Atka the Arctic Gray Wolf! Sunday, April 13   1:00pm Back by popular demand, Atka, an Arctic Gray Wolf, returns to awe and inspire adults and children alike. Along with his handlers from the Wolf Conservation Center of New York, Atka promotes wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment and the human role in protecting their future. Limited seating, purchase your tickets today! Advance Ticket Fee: $10 adults; $6 children At-The-Door Ticket Fee (while they last): $12 adults; $8 children Litchfield Hills Archaeology Club Lecture Sunday, April 13   3:00pm A Village of Outcasts: Archaeology at the Lighthouse Site, presented by Dr. Kenneth Feder of Central Connecticut State University. Professor Feder will discuss his exciting findings from cultural remains of a community of Native Americans, African American slaves and European outcasts that once thrived in the northwestern hills of early Connecticut. Fee: $5; free to Club members Make Your Own Drum! Saturday, April 19   11:00am - 4:00pm Join Terri Delahanty (Cree) as she shares the importance of the drum in Native American culture and guides participants in making their own 13-inch, single-face, elk hide drum. CT Educators may earn 0.15 CEUs. Fee: $150; $125 members Fee includes all supplies Registration and a $50 non-refundable deposit required by April 7, 2008 Earth Day With the Lorax! Sunday, April 20   2:00pm Celebrate Earth Day with a special showing of Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax and learn how you too can make a difference in caring for the environment. Don’t forget to stop by IAIS’ table at the Town of Washington’s Earth Day event in Bryant Plaza! Film length: 52 minutes Fee: included in regular museum admission MAY Top of Page | April | June An Introduction to Flower Essences Saturday, May 10   1:00pm - 2:30pm Join Connecticut Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner, Lupo Connell, for an introductory workshop on the splendid world of flower essences.  Flower essences are dilute extracts of various types of flowers that are used to help alleviate negative emotional states that may contribute to illness or hinder personal growth.  Lupo will discuss the history of flower essences, how flower essences work in the body and the use of flower essence therapy for people, pets and plants.  Participants will receive free literature and samples. CT Educators may earn 0.15 CEUs. Fee: $15; $12 members Artifact Identification Day Sunday, May 18   12:00pm - 2:00pm Spring cleaning uncover some mysterious items? Bring those unidentified Indian stones and cultural items to IAIS for identification. Director of Research & Collections, Dr. Lucianne Lavin, will be available to offer her expertise acquired from over 20 years in the field of archaeology. Limit 12 items per visitor please. Fee: included in regular museum admission Litchfield Hills Archaeology Club Lecture Sunday, May 18   3:00pm (rescheduled from January 2008) Military Archaeology & Why the Revolutionary War is Important to 21st Century Americans, presented by Dr. Laurie Weinstein of Western Connecticut State University. Dr. Weinstein will present new and important information discovered during her investigation of a Revolutionary War encampment in western Connecticut, aided by her co-director, Dr. Bethany Morrison. Fee: $5; free to Club members Primitive Skills Day Saturday, May 24   11:00am - 2:00pm Ever wonder how indigenous peoples of Connecticut hunted, created fire and crafted tools from stone? Stop by IAIS for a fun afternoon of primitive skills! Jeff Kalin of Primitive Technologies Inc. will demonstrate various flintknapping techniques used for making projectile points, awls and scrapers, as well as discussing the various types of stone materials used. Outside, in our Algonkian village, Judy Kalin will show how Native peoples cooked using clay pottery and the seasonal foods available. Survivalist Jamie Leffler will teach visitors how to use bow and twist drills to create fire, as well as the process of making glue for bows, knife handles, etc. Test out your throwing arm with anthropologist and IAIS educator Kimberly Parent as she demonstrates how to throw a spear using an atlatl. Fee: $10 adults; $6 children Film Festival Saturday, May 31   2:00pm and Sunday, June 1   2:00pm Part 5 of our 6-part Film Festival from the TBS series the Native Americans. The horse, the rifle and alcohol all changed the life of the Native Americans. Listen to accounts of the Sand Creek and Wounded Knee massacres as lived and recounted by the Crow, Comanche, Sioux, Kiowa and Apache in the People of the Plains: The Coming of the Horses, the White Man and the Rifle. Film length: 50 minutes Fee: included in regular museum admission JUNE Top of Page | April | May Summer Day Camps! June 16 - August 22 Our Summer Day Camps are filling up! Call now to register your child for any of our 9 camps. For older kids (ages 7-10) choose from Arts & Crafts, Woodland Adventure, Theatre Camp, and Joys of Nature. Designed specifically for ages 5-6, each of our Indian Summer camps immerse campers in a different facet of the lifestyles of Native Americans 500 years ago. In addition, this year we are offering an advanced arts and crafts camp for kids ages 10-12 where they will enjoy designing and creating a variety of decorative masterpieces. Click here for more information. Annual Strawberry Moon Festival Saturday, June 7   11:00am - 2:00pm Wild strawberries are ripening in the fields! Join IAIS Staff; noted food author, Dale Carson (Abenaki); and Terri Delahanty (Cree) to celebrate this special time of the year. Visitors of all ages will enjoy music, dance, traditional Native American stories and learn the importance of giving thanks for the bounty of the Earth, while sampling complimentary foods such as strawberry tea and strawberry bread. Native-inspired children’s activities will run from 1:00pm to 3:00 pm. Fee: $8 adults; $5 children Spring Doctrine of Signatures Plant Walk Saturday, June 14   1:00pm - 2:30pm The Doctrine of Signatures states that by careful observation, one can learn the medicinal uses of a plant from some aspect of its form or place of growing.  The plant may resemble the disease, organ or person for which it is remedial.  Signatures can come to us through all of our senses: sight; sound; taste; smell; and touch.  Join local herbalist, Lupo Connell, for a plant walk upon the IAIS grounds that focuses on our local medicinal plants and explores their uses through the doctrine of signatures. CT Educators may earn 0.15 CEUs. Fee: $15; $12 members Film Festival Saturday, June 28   2:00pm and Sunday, June 29   2:00pm The last in our 6-part Film Festival from the TBS series the Native Americans. Witness the evolution of the Pueblo Peoples in the lands of mesas and canyons as the Hopi, Navajo, Pima, Isleta and Apache recount their stories of survival, imprisonment and rebirth of their peoples in the Natives of the Southwest: Artist, Innovators and Rebels. Film length: 50 minutes Fee: included in regular museum admission