heart of Native America in Oklahoma, The

Southern Living, Feb 1999 by Kunstel, Stacy

About an hour southwest of Oklahoma City, Anadarko sits in the heart of what was once home to thousands of American Indians. Today the town hosts three museums that showcase their art, relate how they lived, and honor their contributions.

Indian City, U.S.A.: A 45minute guided tour takes you through seven Indian villages, each representing a different way of life. Adobe houses, tepees, underground Pawnee earth lodges that once slept as many as 22 people, and the circular, dome-shaped hogans of the Navajo all show how tribes used the land to construct creative, functional housing in the early 1800s.

The Wichita Indians cut tall prairie grasses to make round, thatched lodges. The well-insulated homes provided protection against sweeping winds and driving rain. Sloped entryways kept water from washing inside.

Located 2 miles south of Anadarko on State 8; (405) 2475661. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission: $7.50 adults, $4 ages 6-11. Traditional dance demonstrations on weekends during winter, daily during summer.

The National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians: More than 30 busts of famous American Indians line the formal courtyard of this Hall of Fame. Well-known chiefs, peacekeepers, politicians, guides, and warriors are forever honored with bronze busts and plaques detailing their contributions.

A few of the most recognizable include Oklahoma native Will Rogers, who was part Cherokee, along with Sacagawea, Pocahontas, and Jim Thorpe and Louis Tewanima, who both won medals at the 1912 Olympic Games.

Other carvings include those of Jose Maria, a Nadarko Indian chief who led his people to present-day Anadarko; Stand Watie, a Southern Cherokee chief who served as a brigadier general in the Civil War and was the last Confederate leader to surrender; and Charles Curtis, a Kansa Indian who served as vice president under Herbert Hoover.

US. 62 East; (405) 247-5555. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. MondaySaturday, 1-5p.m. Sunday.

Southern Plains Indian Museum: This small museum next door to the Hall of Fame gives a brief but important overview of the area inhabited by the Southern Plains Indians who roamed this region from prehistoric times to the l9th century. After the Civil War, many of these people were restricted to reservations in southwestern Oklahoma, and later had their land taken from them when the area was opened for settlement in the land rushes.

Many different forms of dress are displayed: a Kiowa woman in buckskins, beads, metal jangles, fringe, and paint; the traditional dress of a Comanche warrior; and children's clothing covered with cowrie shells. Visitors also find musical instruments, jewelry, war clubs, and household tools, including ladles made from a sheep's horn and a water bag made from the stomach of a bison.

There's also a gallery displaying softly hued watercolor paintings and silver jewelry for sale and a gift shop offering beaded earrings, wallets, and belt buckles.

US. 62 East; (405) 247-6221. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. TuesdaySaturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: $3 adults, $1 students.

Pitch seals this woven Apache water jug displayed at Indian City, US.A.