Can you dig it?

It’s time for an update from the Outreach committee of the THPO. With our mock dig box being so well received at the Second Seminole War Reenactment Shoot Out and Junior Archaeology Day events, the THPO will be joining the fun at the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s annual Swamp Kids Summer Fun Festival & Slumber Party! This two day festival includes swamp buggy rides, face painting, animal displays, and Native storytelling, among other fun activities. The THPO will host activities at the festival including our mock dig box, where kids can be an archaeologist and see just what it is we do every day. We will have a mock excavation roped off to demonstrate what an actual excavation test unit would look like

THPO will also host the Chungkee Stone, where attendees can play a traditional game native to North America. The archaeological record of materials associated with this game date back to over 3,000 B.P.. The game is known to have been played throughout the Eastern Woodlands, South East, as well as the Great Plains Native communities via historic accounts from the 1,500s.

The Swamp Kids Summer Fun Festival & Slumber Party will be held on June 22^nd and 23^rd from 11:00am until 4:00pm each day at the Billie Swamp Safari on the Big Cypress Reservation.

In late July/early August, the THPO will participate with numerous other STOF departments in the 9^th annual Seminole Youth Camp. This year’s theme, Health, Wellness, and Culture, promotes healthy living and lifestyle choices. The THPO will be leading a discussion and activity addressing health through time and culture. The activity will use a variety of items associated with different time periods in Florida’s history to illustrate how archaeology can shed light onto the health and lifestyle choices of historic and prehistoric cultures. It’s sure to be both a fun and educational activity.

The THPO is looking forward to these events and sharing our knowledge of archaeology and what can be learned through it. Happy summer!

Written by: Karen Black