Web posted
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Mountain men show their wares
By CHRIS ROBINETTE
Traveler Correspondent
Cecil Hamilton makes his arrowheads and knives by hand using fire-by-friction and flint-mapping methods; the same way the Native Americans did. The effort he puts into these tools are apparent as he uses one to cut through a strand of nylon rope; the serrated edge smoothly slices the rope.
Hamilton also teaches primitive survival techniques along with his processes for making knives.
He enjoys demonstrating these techniques at events like the Mountain Man Living History Encampment, which is currently taking place at the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum.
Hamilton is joined by a host of other individuals and associations, like the Grouse Creek Muzzleloading Association (GCMA). This is the encampment's fourth year.
The encampment shows early life in Kansas in the settler's years. It simulates a pre-1840s trade camp. European settlers and Native Americans gathered at these camps to exchange ideas, techniques and materials.
This flow of ideas made life on the harsh midwestern plains more survivable, said Hamilton, who demonstrates some of the Native American techniques.
The French traded in this area from the 1700s up to the very early 1800s.
"This is how we started," said Ernie Swayer, president of the GCMA, talking about early Americans.
The displays set up by the various muzzleloading and re-enacting groups give visitors a first-hand look at how settlers cooked, the tools and weapons they used and the techniques they used to survive.
"It's to keep our American past and heritage alive," said Sawyer.
Hamilton, like Sawer, wants people who come to the encampment to go home with a sense of history and the struggle that embodied early life on the plains.
"They see something that's a glimpse of our heritage; a glimpse of our past," said Hamilton.
Today is the last day for the two day encampment.
Groups from Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma are expected to show up, said museum director Heather Ferguson. Spectators will be able to tour the camps and displays. They will also be able to learn how to shoot early bows and throw tomahawks. At 2 p.m. a pow wow will be held, and at 7 p.m. stories and Native American folklore will be shared by a fireside.
"I'm proud of it," said Sawyer, referring to the encampment. "The pioneer spirit is still alive."
Below: A mountain man calling himself "Old Salt" shows off his rifle Friday at the Mountain Man Living History Encampment at the Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum in Arkansas City. The event continues through today.
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