“Can you see down there where we are digging up where a lodge once stood?  You can see how we have marked off areas.  Each of those areas is numbered and we keep track of what we find in each square,” explained Jeremy “Was this your house?”

“How can I tell?” asked Hidatsa. “It looks like it is facing about the right way and it is about the right size, but it is nothing but dirt” Tuning to Numankaki, he added in a hushed tone, “Is this really our house.  Has it really been 1000 summers?  Was it that long since I chased the buffalo away from our lodge? That long ago since we sat outside and ate pemmican for a snack?  Things have really changed!”

Karina sounded surprised as she asked, “Pemmican, what do you know about Pemmican?”

“Why, mom makes great Pemmican,” Numankaki said defensively, “and I help.  I even know our family’s recipe for special occasions.  I know how much of what kinds of  berries and seeds, how to mix it with fat…”

“Okay, okay,” said Karina, “I guess you really do know what Pemmican is.”

“Can we see what you have been finding?” asked Hidatsa suddenly.  “I’d like to see.”

“Let's walk around the walkway.  We’ll look at the artifacts that are at the top, and then we can go downstairs and see what we have  dug up.”  As they walked, Jeremy and Karina showed them bones, pottery, and tools. The two children quickly looked over everything and appeared only slightly interested as Jeremy explained that the tools were made of stone and bones of buffalo and showed them pieces of pottery.  When Jeremy explained what one of the bowls was probably used for, Hidatsa disagreed and said it was for cooking stew, to which Jeremy replied, "that is possible."

Down the stairs they went and Karina explained how a bone was found, carefully cleaned, studied, logged, marked and filed way.  The two children carefully looked through what was there, but both looked disappointed.  Hidatsa asked, “Do you ever find things that aren’t broken?” 

“Sometimes, although not often.  Some nice artifacts are on display in the Visitor Center.  Have you been there?” asked Karina?  

“No", said Numankaki, “we just got here.  What things do you have there?”

"Well, there is a model of what we think the village may have looked like, a real skeleton of a buffalo all put together,  a full size model of one of their lodges, some pottery, and other items,”  Jeremy said. 

“Let’s go,”  said Hidatsa.