Bison blessing part of American Indian event

Journey back in time nearly 200 years ago to the days when only American Indians and bison inhabited the Elgin prairie.

The third annual Native American Cultural Days and Bison Blessing will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in the zoo area of Lords Park.

Sponsored by the Elgin Public Museum, the city of Elgin and Midwest SOARRING (Save Our Ancestors Remains, Resources Indigenous Network Group) Foundation, the celebration will feature American Indian dancers, music, re-enactors and vendors. Special games and craft activities will be available for children. Vendors will have American Indian items for sale and there will be a food vendor. Teepees also will be set up on the ground where visitors can see what it was like to live on the prairie.

Chicago Ojibwa flute player Bill "Conquering Bear" Buchholtz will be a featured performer. Buchholtz has played his flute at many venues, including the Field Museum in Chicago. He will perform both days.

A special guest is Sal "Red Hawk" Camacho of Elgin who will do a Potawatomi re-enactment, complete with a hide lodge. Camacho portrays Red Hawk as he explains to visitors the way he and his people lived before they lost this area in the Black Hawk Wars of the 1830s.

Dancers will perform in the dance ring, explaining their dances and inviting views to take part. All area Native dancers are invited to attend, dressed in regalia, and take part in the dancing. All are invited.

At 10 a.m. Sunday, Joe Standing Bear Schranz, president of Midwest SOARRING, will conduct a special Bison Blessing of the Lords Park Bison herd.

This event is free and all are invited to assemble before 10 a.m. on the knoll overlooking the bison. Visitors will be invited to take part in the blessing, learning about that aspect of the American Indian culture. Joseph will give thanks to the Creator and the six directions.

A charge of $5 will cover admission to the grounds. There is a maximum of $25 for a family. Dancers in regalia will be admitted at no charge. For information call the Elgin Public Museum at (847) 741-6655 or visit the Web site at www.elginpublicmuseum.org.