“This is really neat magic,” stated Numankaki, “Do you really think
we’ll find it? Are we in the same place? It looks very different. I don’t
see any buffalo, and over there was a big field where Tonka and I played during the
long, warm summers. The creek where we bathed and hunted is now a lake and the large
Willow that I fell out of and hurt my arm is
gone. And look at all those other trees. The trees were almost gone. Where are we?Before
Hidatsa could speak, Karina said, “That is a cool game. You two have great costumes – where did you
get them?” Numankaki and Hidatsa
looked surprised and for the first time really looked at the two
students.
“Who
are you and where are we?” asked Hidatsa.
Karina
smiled, deciding to play their game and replied. “Why,
you have come to the place where a prehistoric Indian tribe lived a thousand years ago. We are here to solve the mysteries of the
people who lived here. Do you want to
know more?”
Hidatsa and Numankaki looked at each other . “Well, he said we would come to the time and
place of the finding and things do look different here – a thousand summers ago, huh?” Numankaki turned to Karina, “Yes,
we’d like to know more. What do you do
here exactly and what are you finding? We
were part of the people who lived here back then and have come here to find something we
lost. We only have until sundown.”
Jeremy
smiled and said, “Really, part of the
people who lived here. Where did you live?”
Jeremy and Karina exchanged knowing looks and decided to play along with the little
game. It would be a relief from the time they
had spent digging in the dirt and cleaning objects found.
Later they knew they would have to go back and catalog their finds, but the tour
guides had left for the day and this was, for now, entertaining. “You two really look good for being over a
thousand years old. Now where did you live?”
“We lived right over there where that big thing is” stated Hidatsa and pointed
toward the large concrete and glass structure beside them.
“Is that a lodge? How many people live in that?”
Karina
answered, “No one lives there. Come see the
Archeodome. This building was built to
protect what we are digging. It also is a
place where we can clean and study what we find. We
are also careful to mark and record where everything is found because someday it may be
important. ”
“Can
we see what you are finding?” asked
Hidatsa.
“Just
follow us,”, said Karina “You know, with you two being a thousand years
old, you could probably help us to solve some things we don’t know – by the way,
I love what you two are wearing – where did you get those clothes.”
As they
walked down the walk, Numankaki explained how her mom had prepared and sewn the
buffalo skins to make the outfits that both were wearing.
“Let's
go explore,” said Jeremy as they entered the building.
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