The Poverty Point World Heritage Site is celebrating International Archaeology Day at their park this Saturday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is a day dedicated to educating people on the historic culture and lives of Native Americans living in Louisiana from 1100 BCE - 1700 A.D.
Poverty Point is located east of Monroe in West Carrol Parish, 6859 Louisiana Highway 577. On Saturday, the entrance fee will be $4, but children (3 and under) and senior citizens (62 and over) get in free.
International Archaeology Day is a state-sponsered celebration that was created to highlight how life may have been for the inhabitants of Louisiana centures ago. The Poverty Point World Heritage Site is one of two locations that the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development chose to host the celebration due to its historical and archaeological significance.
Mark Brink Jr, an interpretive ranger at Poverty Point, says, "In our backyard, we have an ancient Native American mound site that was the largest and most complex of its time and rougly 3,500 years old!" These aspects of the site have drawn archaeologists and scientists from around the world to Northeast Louisiana.
To celebrate the Poverty Point culture and its ancient signifiance, the park will provide a number of interactive opportunities for their guests this Saturday.
Attendees will learn about the spear-throwing atlatl, the creation of stone by lint knapping, and fire starting demonstrations. During all of these activites, guests will get to participate if they want to, whether it be throwing a spear or making a stone. Park rangers will also be leading tram tours throughout the day at 10 a.m, 11:30 a.m, 1 p.m, and 3 p.m.
For more information about Archaeology Day or The Poverty Point World Heritage Site, click here.