Pawnee Indian Museum - Exhibits
As early as 1770, the Kitkahahki band of Pawnee settled in what is now Republic County and remained until approximately 1802. They lived in the traditional Pawnee dome-shaped earth lodges, which could be as large as 25 to 60 feet in diameter. Each lodge had a center pit dug three to four feet in diameter that served as a fireplace.
Archeological excavations at the site in Republic County uncovered approximately half of the village. The remains of 22 lodges, more than 40 storage pits, and a fortification wall have been documented. Pawnee Indian Museum was built over the remains of a large lodge depression. Its floor is exposed and all objects, including structural remains, were left where the archeologists uncovered them.
In addition to the excavated floor of the lodge, visitors can see:
- Two rare Pawnee sacred bundles
- Star chart painted on buckskin
- European metal trade items
- Bull bison robe
- Items made from bison bones
- Paintings of Pawnees by George Catlin and Charles Bird King
- Depressions of other earth lodges
Special exhibits
Kansas Rock Art, January - April 2016
Frontier Visionary, George Catlin and the Plains Indians, May - December 2016