Native American Living History Week
Program Details

Sylvan Dale hosts Native American Living History Week, and we welcome you to join us for a trip back in time. Gray Wolf and other historians transform part of the ranch into a Cheyenne camp from the mid-1800s, complete with tipis, buffalo hides, tomahawks, buckskin and rawhide, old-time beadwork and much, much more! Our Ranch guests have been delighted to participate in programs hosted by Shines Living History Productions — the response has been so overwhelming, with many families booking again after attending, we decided to bring you more of this exciting era of America’s Western heritage.  August 10 - 16, 2008 will be our 9th straight year!

Adults and kids gather in tipi camp for games

Our regular Ranch program will still be available (horseback riding, nature walks, river trips, etc.).   For our repeat guests, we have added different crafts and activities, plus the favorite standards, to keep you happy and involved again!

The production company has many different historians "on call," but at Sylvan Dale Ranch each summer, Gray Wolf is the main host.  Shines works behind the scenes in program development and selection of guest historians for those times when she is not able to actually help host the event on site.

Below is a brief description of some of the activities you can experience during our Native American Living History Week.

Tomahawk & Knife Throwing
Ongoing throughout the week, lessons and practice on "sticking steel" (getting your metal implement to stay in a dead tree trunk).  Later, the ‘hawk blocks will find two teams ready for an exciting contest: Women/Girls vs. Men/Boys!

Moccasins, Medicine Bag or another customized leather piece
With step-by-step instruction, adults will create their own pair of Cheyenne-style moccasins from buckskin leather.   You will be strolling around Sylvan Dale in a comfortable pair of hand-made moccasins.  Should you prefer, a medicine bag or a leather pouch or something else can be made instead. 

Arrow Making
Guests receive guided instruction and assistance in making their own arrow for a truly unique keepsake.   If you make an arrow, we have to promise the Jessups that we won’t use any of the wildlife, cows or grounds crew as targets!

Native American Games...
...will help kids sleep better, after we've been tuckered out a bit playing in the same fun ways many tribes' kids have for centuries!  Adults often join in on the play, showing everyone that play is truly ageless.   Everyone will be laughing and screaming while we learn that other cultures aren't really so different from ours!

Fire-making Contest
From gathering natural tinder and sticks to producing a spark and ember, through building and maintaining a small cook fire, guests are invited to compete in teams for this this everyday necessity.  Flint-n-steel and the “rubbing sticks” method are covered, as well as safety issues for children.  An exciting contest shows you paid attention--first one to flames gets all the applause!

Native American Sign Language
This language has been preserved for centuries and is ongoing throughout the week.  A concentrated session gives a visual trip back through time, showing how sign language was an integral part of the frontier experience, both before and after contact. 

Pine-needle Tea and other Wild Edibles
Help us find yummy munchies on the land, and learn how you could survive if ever lost in the wilderness.  Offer a toast to the Colorado Rockies with a delicious cup of Pine-needle Tea (picked by helpful guests near Tipi Camp).

Nature Scavenger Hunt and Buckskin Craft for Children
Rocks, feathers and more are found on a special hike through the woods – the children on the look-out for items they want to incorporate into their Buckskin "Story Robe."  Then we sit and make a unique craft, complete with paints and beads if the artist so desires!

The Great Plains Culture
An introduction to the lives of the Plains Peoples.   Guests sit inside the tipi on furs and learn about culture, foods, accoutrements, clothing, etiquette and more. Horses, setting up the lodges, and other lifeways are also covered.

Weapons of the Plains
A time-line of survival weapons: stone implements, obsidian points, bows and arrows, knives, tomahawks, flint-lock muzzleloading pistol, percussion cap black powder rifles, cap and ball revolver, and an original early Winchester repeater rifle.

Native American Living History Week
Bios on Historians

“We’ve set up our tipi in many wonderful places in the West, but our little spot on the Big Thompson River at Sylvan Dale Ranch is one of the best!  Sitting in the shade with guests, finishing up our moccasins or arrows, watching golden eagles soar overhead, catching a glimpse of rainbow trout darting about in the waters — well, words don’t quite describe the feelings.”
— Gray Wolf and Shines

Gray Wolf, Shines and other guest historians, of Shines Living History Productions, spend much of their time experiencing the old ways of the 1700 and 1800s.  They live often in their tipis, wear authentic clothing, use ancient tools and cook over open fires for their meals.  They study Native American history and philosophy, and with great respect they try to keep alive the ancient lifeways of some of the earliest peoples to inhabit the land now known as North America.  They love sharing this with others!

Gray Wolf's ancestry includes Northern Cheyenne of the Great Plains and Micmac of the far Northeast.  He has traveled the country for many years in search of knowledge from his People, and he has lived in his tipi for extended periods of time as well as with just bedrolls on the ground.  He spent time on several reservations, learning what he could of lifeways from tribal elders and others.   Gray Wolf took an 11-month horse pack trip riding from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Canada experiencing life on the trail, and he has been a "working" cowboy.   He is a professional guide for canoe trips, horse-packing, kayaking, back-packing and prospecting.   Gray Wolf also teaches rock-climbing and survival skills.  He has spent over two decades sharing his knowledge and interesting anecdotes with audiences of all ages in a diverse range of programs.  His real-life experience gives him a solid platform from which to share his knowledge of Native Americans, Mountain Men, Cowboys, wilderness survival and all that these subjects entail.

Shines (Polish, French, and German, but Native American at heart), has studied and enjoyed "the great outdoors" since her father put her in a canoe at the age of three.   She has spent much time in the American wilderness — back-packing, hiking, bird-watching, animal tracking, fishing and simply observing Nature.   For over five years, she lived without electricity or telephone in a remote house on a forested mountain.   For interpretive and educational purposes, she has developed nature and children's programs, imparting her love of the Earth to others, hoping that this contributes in some small way to the healing of the planet and the people she meets.

Her studies of Native American philosophy extended beyond college classes to experiential anthropology when she began living in a tipi and attending re-enactments, learning first-hand what textbooks could not convey. Shines has been presenting historical programs professionally for over 15 years, reaching audiences from pre-schoolers on up to Elderhostel groups. Her personality, which earned her the name Shines, is what helps her capture the imagination of young and old alike.

For more information regarding Shines Living History Productions and our Native American Living History Week at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, please contact us:

Shines Living History Productions
Email:
Shines Living History Home Page

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