Opening eyes to Native American culture, heritage at Elgin museum

The sights and sounds of traditional Native American music, clothing and culture filled the Elgin Public Museum - and spilled onto the grounds of Lords Park - for the annual Elgin Native American Family Day.

The event Saturday was in conjunction with the museum's special exhibit of "The Unconquerable: Photos and History of the Kickapoo Indians." The Kickapoo tribe once lived in Illinois.

Artifacts like 100-year-old photos, headresses, weaponry and clothing were procured from the McLean County Historical Society and the Elgin museum's extensive collection.

"Native Americans have been here so long and we need to respect the people who were here before us," said Sara Russell, education coordinator for the Elgin Public Museum. They are still a vibrant culture and are still around today."

Educating visitors about Native Americans is important because portrayals of American Indians are often inaccurate, said Sal Redhawk Camacho, a Potawatomi re-enactor from Elgin who has the blessing of the elders of the Potawotami Nation.

"I want to teach kids that their ideas of what an Indian is are not what they see on TV," said Camacho, who erected a wigwam and roasted a chicken in front of the museum. "I am here to teach the truth."

In addition to the exhibit, the day also included a blessing of the bison that live in the Lords Park enclosure. More than 50 people attended this year's event, which was conducted by Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, an elder of the White Earth Ojibwe and president and founder of Midwest SOARRING (Saving Our Ancestors Resources and Remains indigenous Networking Group), based in Lyons.

Ted King and his two children, Gretchen, 8, and Brent, 6, of Elgin visited the exhibit for the first time Saturday.

"I wanted to teach them about the heritage," Ted King said.

Gretchen said she enjoys the museum to learn about other parts of the world and see how other people live.

"I like reading about all of the things that happened in the past," said Gretchen, who described the displays as "awesome."