"Life in Illinois 2,000 years ago," flintknapping class and O'Fallon High School pottery exhibit featured at Cahokia Mounds in January

COLLINSVILLE - During January, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site will feature a public lecture on the Hopewell Culture, a beginner's flintknapping class, and an exhibit of pottery made by local high school students.

Dr. Michael Wiant, director of the Dickson Mounds Museum in Lewistown, Illinois, will open the Winter Lecture Series at Cahokia Mounds on Sunday, January 20 at 2 p.m. with "The Hopewell Mound Builders: Life in Illinois Two Thousand Years Ago." The lecture is free and open to the public, and will be held in the Interpretive Center auditorium. Future lectures in the series will be held in February, March and April, and will also focus on the Hopewell cultural tradition as represented in Ohio, Missouri, and the southeastern states. Program information and dates will be posted at www.cahokiamounds.com as they are confirmed.

Larry Kinsella, a professional flintknapper, will offer a beginners' flintknapping workshop on Saturday, January 26 from noon to 4 p.m. Anyone interested in learning how to make flint tools, arrowheads and other implements using traditional methods should enroll in this class. Kinsella will provide all the materials and tools needed, although participants may bring their own if they wish. The class is limited to 15 people, so enrollment is first-come, first-served. The fee for the workshop is $30 and participants must pre-register by calling (618) 346-5160. Cahokia Mounds Museum Society members and Cahokia Mounds Volunteers receive a ten percent discount.

Students from O'Fallon, Illinois Township High School recently visited the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center and sketched many of the ceramic artifacts on display. The students then mined and refined local clay and used ancient techniques to produce copies of the artifacts. According to their teacher, Ben Brooks, "The resulting works are the most authentic experience in native ceramics a high school student can get." The students' sketches and photographs of their process, as well as samples of raw and refined native clay, are displayed alongside their works in the temporary exhibit space inside the Interpretive Center. This exhibit may be viewed through mid-February.

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is just eight mile from downtown St. Louis in Collinsville, Illinois, off Interstates 55/70 (exit 6) and I-255 (exit 24) on Collinsville Road. The site is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Mondays and Tuesdays. There is no admission fee, although a donation of $2 for adults and $1 for children is suggested. For more information or a calendar of events, call (618) 346-5160 or visit www.cahokiamounds.com.