MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville is celebrating National Native American Heritage Month in November with two weekends of programming that you don’t want to miss. All programs are free and open to the public.
The complex will host its second annual Native Peoples Heritage Day event with all-ages activities and a film screening, and the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dance Troupe will be on site for a performance and lecture.
Native Peoples Heritage Day will be held from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 and will feature activities for all ages. At 3 p.m., a screening of the award-winning film ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) about the revitalization of the Cherokee language will be shown in the museum’s auditorium.
The Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dance Troupe will make a return visit to the complex on Saturday, Nov. 9. At 4 p.m., Shawn Price, Dineh Tah’ Cultural Program Director, will deliver a historical presentation on “FDR and the New Deal.” Following the presentation, at 5 p.m., the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dance Troupe will perform traditional Navajo dances.
Operated by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250 – 150 B.C. and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Collections Management Facility.
Admission to Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is free. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Access to the Mound and other outdoor areas closes at 4:30 p.m., weather permitting.