We also did flintknapping. Flint knapping is when you make arrowheads. First you find a good piece of chert. Next you flake with a hammer stone until you get a good flake. After you have a couple of good flakes you start to shape a flake into a triangle. Last you put a notch in it.
When we were flintknapping they also taught us how to make a fire. Don't try this at home. First you take at least six pieces of twine and unravel them. You make a nest of these pieces of unraveled twine. Next you use a steel striker and chert to make a spark land on the nest. Then you hold underneath. When you catch a spark you fold then rest up and take it outside and blow upward. When the nest catches on fire you drop it.
We also studied villages. Can you believe that at Kampsville they actually started to build some Indian's houses! First we went on a hike through the forest to look at different Indian houses. One of the houses was a Paleo and Archaic example. Another was a Mississippian house. After the hike we took sticks and twine and tied the sticks on to the walls of a house they had already started.
While we were there we also went on an eco-hike. On the eco-hike we hiked around the town and bluffs of Kampsville. We saw an Indian mound and the Illinois River. We learned some of the different kinds of wild plants the Indians might have used for food or medicine. We had a really good time and we hope to go back someday.
