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Visitors to Glacier National Park will find a series of new exhibits to explore that focus on Native American history and cultural experiences connected to the area in and around the park.
Entitled "At Home in This Place," the exhibits were installed in July 2010 at the St. Mary Visitor Center and were viewed by tribal leaders and elders July 14 during a dedication ceremony. As part of the dedication, tribal perspectives and remarks were offered by Peter (Rusty) Tatsey (Blackfeet), Vernon Finley (Kootenai) and Thompson Smith (Salish-Pend d'Oreille).
Tribal singing and drumming groups performed honor songs on behalf of all three tribes. Remarks were offered on behalf of the National Park Service (NPS) by Park Superintendent Chas Cartwright and Hudson Bay District Interpreter Mark Wagner who served as the project coordinator.
According to Cartwright, "Several years of consultation with cultural experts from the Blackfeet, Kootenai and Salish and Pend d'Oreille tribes provided authenticity and a true tribal perspective on issues related to land, plants, animals, mountains and history of this area."
Numerous tribal elders and tribal leaders for all three nations were involved in consultations throughout the design and development of the exhibits.
There are five new main exhibits:
Additional exhibits in the lobby focus on other park stories and help interpret resources seen from the building.
These include the following panels: Where the Prairie Meets the Mountains, Who Lives in the Meadows, and Glaciers on the Move.
There is also a new interactive 3-D park topographic map with optic fiber lights highlighting the following: Continental Divides depicts the Continental Divide, Hudson Bay Divide, Triple Divide Peak; Glacier's 10,000-foot Mountains; Tourism and Early Park Days shows locations of historic hotels and chalets; and Goodbye to the Glaciers is an animated look at the disappearance of park glaciers from 1850 to 2020.
These new exhibits will be permanently on display at the St. Mary Visitor Center. Summer hours of operation at the St. Mary Visitor Center are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
This is a centennial celebration year for Glacier National Park, which was designated the nation's 10th national park on May 11, 1910. Glacier is located in the northwest corner of Montana along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. For more information, visit the park's Web site at www.nps.gov/glac/ .
Entitled "At Home in This Place," the exhibits were installed in July 2010 at the St. Mary Visitor Center and were viewed by tribal leaders and elders July 14 during a dedication ceremony. As part of the dedication, tribal perspectives and remarks were offered by Peter (Rusty) Tatsey (Blackfeet), Vernon Finley (Kootenai) and Thompson Smith (Salish-Pend d'Oreille).
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According to Cartwright, "Several years of consultation with cultural experts from the Blackfeet, Kootenai and Salish and Pend d'Oreille tribes provided authenticity and a true tribal perspective on issues related to land, plants, animals, mountains and history of this area."
Numerous tribal elders and tribal leaders for all three nations were involved in consultations throughout the design and development of the exhibits.
There are five new main exhibits:
- Welcome-panels from each of the tribes detailing local Native peoples and their historic and current relationship with the land
- Bittersweet Meanings looks at changes faced by tribes with the creation of Glacier National Park; some good, others difficult
- Backbone of the World provides native perspectives on the land, mountains, creation stories, and place names
- The Wisdom in Spoken Words features oral histories and traditions with video of stories about Glacier by tribal elders. The exhibit includes an indoor tipi setting for sitting and listening to these stories
- Animal Lessons is a large winter scene diorama featuring elk, wolves, coyote, and grizzly bear which includes animal stories told by tribal leaders
Additional exhibits in the lobby focus on other park stories and help interpret resources seen from the building.
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There is also a new interactive 3-D park topographic map with optic fiber lights highlighting the following: Continental Divides depicts the Continental Divide, Hudson Bay Divide, Triple Divide Peak; Glacier's 10,000-foot Mountains; Tourism and Early Park Days shows locations of historic hotels and chalets; and Goodbye to the Glaciers is an animated look at the disappearance of park glaciers from 1850 to 2020.
These new exhibits will be permanently on display at the St. Mary Visitor Center. Summer hours of operation at the St. Mary Visitor Center are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
This is a centennial celebration year for Glacier National Park, which was designated the nation's 10th national park on May 11, 1910. Glacier is located in the northwest corner of Montana along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. For more information, visit the park's Web site at www.nps.gov/glac/ .
