In a free program, Town Creek Indian Mound will highlight the art of weaving Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources “Second Saturdays” series.

American Indians were weavers of baskets, mats, fabric and nets, and even their homes were woven together. Participating local artisans will include broom makers, basket weavers and jewelry makers.

One of the vendors on-site scheduled to attend enjoys painting reproduction quilt patterns, which he then places on the side of old barns in the area. Another artist will create handmade paper out of recycled materials and plant fibers. This paper can be used as stationery or art. Items created by the artists will be available for purchase at their booths.

Activities will also be available to the public for free. Participants can view a hands-on demonstration of how American Indians used wattle to make the walls of the huts. Children will enjoy learning cordage (the art of making string or rope) and creating their own bracelets; and staff will make pine needle baskets in the East Lodge.

For more than a thousand years, American Indians farmed lands later known as North Carolina. Around A.D. 1000, a new cultural tradition arrived in the Pee Dee River Valley. Throughout Georgia, South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and western and southern Piedmont North Carolina, the Mississippian tradition spawned complex societies. Inhabitants built earthen mounds for their leaders, engaged in widespread trade, supported craftspeople and celebrated a new form of religion.

In 1937, excavations began at Town Creek Indian Mound. Key features of the site were reconstructed, including the mound, two temple structures, a burial hut and surrounding stockade. Archaeologists’ excavations revealed that the mound at Town Creek was constructed over an early rectangular structure known as an “earth lodge.”

The mission of Town Creek Indian Mound is to interpret the history of the American Indians who once lived here. The visitor center features interpretive exhibits, as well as audiovisual displays. A national historic landmark, Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site is North Carolina’s only state historic site dedicated to American Indian heritage. Tour groups are welcome and encouraged.

The site is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. It is closed to the public Mondays and most major holidays.

The historic site is located on Town Creek Mound Road approximately five miles east of Mt. Gilead, in southern Montgomery County, between N.C. 73 and N.C. 731.

For more information on Town Creek, visit the website www.towncreek.nchistoricsites.org.