Archaeology Day at Union Museum

Mark your calendar for Archaeology Day on Saturday, June 26, when Discovery Place-Union Museum of History and Art will officially open its First People of Union Parish gallery featuring locally sourced Native American pottery sherds, arrowheads, grinding stones and other artifacts.
At 1 p.m., noted archaeologist/author/educator Jeff Girard will give a talk on the subject of Indian cultures that inhabited the Union Parish area over eons, and left their mark for modern explorers.
Representatives of three Indian groups will be invited as special guests that day, as well: the Caddo Nation, Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.
At 10 a.m., amateur archaeologist Larry Pixley of Bernice will give a demonstration of tool-making techniques practiced by ancient indigenous people. Pixley will show skills such as knapping and rope-making.
We sincerely thank these individuals whose Indian artifacts will be displayed: the family of James Harty, David Chrisman, Cal Colvin, Wayne Abercrombie, Carol Jo Johnston, Gene and Karen BeDoit, and Richard Wolf. (Others interested in donating or loaning artifacts may call the museum at 318-982-8020.)
Girard is the former regional archaeologist for the Louisiana Division of Archaeology and a retired faculty member of Northwestern State University. He is the author of "The Caddos and Their Ancestors: Archaeology and the Native People of Northwest Louisiana," and coauthor of "Caddo Connections: Cultural Interactions within and beyond the Caddo World." Girard resides in Shreveport.
Events of this landmark day are supported by a gift from Tom and Bonnie Fields and by a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this event do not necessarily represent those of either the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
We also are sincerely grateful to Claiborne Electric Cooperative, which provided a grant through its Operation Round-Up program to purchase four large display cases for our Indian artifacts and all equipment for our archaeology research center.