Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center

Februaury 2008

Saturday, Feb. 9, 1-3 pm
Dale Carson’s Buffalo Stew
Members Only. Join cookbook author Dale Carson (Abenaki) as she makes buffalo stew—and get a taste of the savory dish, too. Copies of her books are available for purchase and signing. $20 per person. RSVP to Sarah Eleazer at (860) 396-6890.

Mon., Wed. & Fri., Feb. 18, 20 & 22, 1 pm
BAKED ALASKA
This half-hour film documents how climate change is affecting the nation’s largest state more than the other 49, followed by a discussion with the Museum’s Dr. Russ Handsman. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Monday, Feb. 18, 11 am-12:15 pm
Icebreakers: Exploring Global Warming
Join archaeologist Dr. Russ Handsman as he explores solar radiation and reflection, volcanic eruptions (really fun!) and the greenhouse effect. We supply the materials and the safety goggles. For 8–12 year olds and their families. $15/$10 for Museum members. Call (800) 411-9671 to register.

Tuesday & Thursday, Feb. 19, 21, 11 am & 1 pm
Meet Atka, the Arctic Gray Wolf
Get up close and personal with Atka, a full grown Arctic wolf. Learn the importance of predators in healthy ecosystems, and about the nationwide efforts to save this species for future generations. Free with Museum admission, free for Museum members.

Tuesday & Thursday, Feb. 19 & 21, 11 am-3 pm
Know Your Predators
After meeting Atka the Arctic wolf, person to predator, stop by the Discovery Cart to learn more about various animals, including the Eastern coyote and red fox, that Native Americans depended on for survival. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Wednesday Feb. 20, 11 am & 2 pm
First a Lake, Then a Swamp
Join us in the Museum’s paleo-environmental exhibit as we explore how scientists reconstruct the history of lakes and swamps in New England from ancient pollen and fossils. For 8–12 year olds and their families. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members.

Sunday, Feb. 24–April 27, 10 am-4 pm
EarthWorks: Virtual Explorations of the Ancient Ohio Valley
This new exhibit lets you experience how virtual technology brings the ancient earthen constructions of the Ohio Valley to life. Native American cultures that flourished in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia erected enormous geometric and animal-shaped earth works that often rivaled Stonehenge in their astronomical accuracy. Free with Museum admission, free to Museum members. Staff-led tours on weekends at 2 pm start March 1.

EarthWorks is a traveling exhibition from the University of Cincinnati Center for the Electronic Reconstruction of Historical and Archaeological Sites program produced in conjunction with the Cincinnati Museum Center and funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Sunday, Feb. 24, 11 am-1 pm
Members-Only Exhibit Preview
Members Only. Special preview for Museum members of EarthWorks includes opening remarks by Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone tribal elder, and continental breakfast in the Museum Café. Breakfast from 11 am–noon, preview from noon–1 pm. $15/$10 for children under 12. RSVP to Sarah Eleazer at (860) 396-6890 by Feb. 19.

February Film Series

Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 2 & 3, 1 pm
Sila Alangotok: Inuit Observations on Climate Change
This dramatic video vividly illustrates many of the ill effects warming temperatures are having on the lives of the Inuit living in the hamlet of Sachs Harbour on the Banks Islands in the Canadian Arctic. Free with Museum admission, free for Museum members and students.

Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 9 & 10, 1 pm
The Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced
This unique film chronicles two 9,000-mile-long expeditions along Alaska’s magnificent coastline, one in 1899 and the other in 2001. The first was led by railroad tycoon Edward Henry Harriman, who invited 25 scientists, writers and artists along to document the trip. The recent excursion retraced Harriman’s route and explored some of the issues he faced. Free with Museum admission, free for Museum members and students.

Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 16 & 17, 1pm
Mon., Wed. & Fri., Feb. 18, 20 & 22, 1 pm
BAKED ALASKA
This half-hour film documents how climate change is affecting the nation’s largest state more than the other 49, followed by a discussion with the Museum’s Dr. Russ Handsman. Free with Museum admission, free for Museum members and students.

Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 23 & 24, 1 pm
Our Land, Our Life
This film tells the story of Carrie and Mary Dann, two Western Shoshone sisters and ranchers in Nevada who battled the U. S. government over grazing rights on land they insist was granted their tribe by a 1863 treaty. Free with Museum admission, free for Museum members and students.

Mark Your Calendar!

Coming May 17, 2008
RACE: Are We So Different?
This powerful exhibition—which includes film, photography, interactive components and local programming—explores race and racism in America from the perspectives of science, human history and everyday experience. The RACE exhibit is part of a larger public education project from the American Anthropological Association and is funded by the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. The national tour is presented by the Best Buy Children’s Foundation.