Wichita: People of the Grass Lodge
Guided tour — Kansas Museum of History, Topeka
Grades — 1st
Experience the traditions of the Wichita Indians with a full scale replica of a grass lodge. The “Wichita: People of the Grass Lodge” tour provides students with an understanding of the culture of a native American Indian group from Kansas. The tour emphasizes the role of the prairie environment in determining how the Wichita met their basic needs of food, shelter and clothing. Students grind corn on a stone ‘matate,’ spend hands-on time exploring reproduction artifacts and visit the museum gallery to see three major exhibits featuring a prairie diorama, a buffalo-hide tipi, and a full-size Wichita grass lodge.
Kansas standards addressed but not necessarily fulfilled:
Grade 1, History: Benchmark 2, Indicator 4: The student compares types of shelter used by American Indians in Kansas over time (e.g. grass house, earth house, tipi, frame house)
Grade 1, Geography: Benchmark 5, Indicator 2: The student describes how the physical environment impacts humans (e.g. choices of clothing, housing, crops, recreation).
Grade 2, History: Benchmark 2, Indicator 1: The student compares and contrasts daily life of an historic Plains Indian family, a pioneer family, and a modern family in Kansas.
Cost per student including museum admission: $3.00. One adult enters free for every 10 students. Additional adults pay the student rate.
Length of tour: approximately one hour, with a maximum of two tours per hour.
Number of students in a group: for the best experience, we recommend approximately 20 students per tour. For large groups, a maximum of 40 students will be accommodated on the tour during any given hour.
Registration and scheduling: register online, or contact Education and Outreach at 785-272-8681, ext. 414; e-mail education@kshs.org. Tours must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Upcoming Events
