What's New

New exhibits have recently opened in the North Building. The exhibits tell the story of the emigrant Indians in Kansas-—such as the Iowa, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, and Sac and Fox.

As American Indians were removed to the area beginning in 1825, they had to adapt to life in a new environment and came into contact with other cultural groups. Their traditional skills and their beliefs were impacted by these changes. Through folklore, folk art, and other cultural traditions, these cultural groups learned to communicate their presence, values, and aesthetics through generations. The complicated history of American Indians in Kansas is also the story of how cultural traditions change through time while maintaining ties to the past. The arrival of small trade beads in large quantities, for example, made possible the fine beadwork we know today. Articles of clothing once made with buffalo skins began to be made from wool or cotton.

Objects in the new exhibit at Shawnee Indian Mission include woven baskets, beadwork, drums, and other folk art made from techniques passed down through generations of Kansans with American Indian ancestry.

Shawnee Indian Mission Fall Festival is coming up October 10-11, 2009. If you are a vendor interested in participating in the festival, we invite you to complete this vendor application.

Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Sites features many new exhibits in the East Building. New exhibits on the Iowa and Sac & Fox will be opening in summer 2009 in the North Building.