BYU NewsNet - Week aims to gear excitement for history

Inside the Museum of Peoples and Cultures, motionless artifacts of history and culture are on display, but on Saturday they will come alive through animated demonstrations, specialty booths and live performances.

In honor of Utah’s Prehistory Week, the museum’s annual Block Party on Saturday will offer the community an appreciation for Utah’s account of the past. Demonstrations and activities will be from 10 a.m to 3 p.m and will include corn grinding, cordage (ropes), pottery, lace making, basketry, an archaeology dig, flint knapping (arrowhead making) and petroglyph face painting.

Erika Riggs, the museum’s media contact, said the celebration focuses on bringing out the community and linking the past and the present through educational activities.

“We want them to get an education without realizing that ‘oh we’re having fun, not learning,’” Riggs said.

The Morning Star Indian Dancers are a big attraction of the Block Party. A family performing group, Morning Star has been demonstrating different styles of dance from the Native American culture at the Block Party for at least six years.

Gary Field, the father of Morning Star Indian Dancers and former assistant director of Living Legends, will be performing with his wife and eight children, including their youngest of 15 months.

“We want to capture the spirit of the culture through our theme that is common to all native tribes and all people — that we are all related. Every one of us has a gift that we can strengthen, and by strengthening our gifts, we can strengthen our family and nation,” Field said.

Kimberly Dorland, a dance major at BYU, said she is excited that the Archaeology Field School is coordinating with the museum to open up an excavation site to the visitors who take part in the Block Party this year.

“The archeological dig sounds like a great opportunity to participate in this year’s museum activities that I normally wouldn’t get the chance to experience,” Dorland said.