Features of the Display

Spring: The spring represents a spring of life both ancient and new and is the centerpiece of the exhibit. It speaks to all tribes and peoples, about the importance of water and the interconnection between groundwater and surface water.

Text panels: The text panels focuses on building bridges between traditional ways of learning and scientific ways of learning. The panels symbolize the Plains Indian tipi as a metaphor for the home, a place that is safe and truthful. Within the tipi of the past were told stories and histories and the exhibit allows the space for today’s teaching about water. Each panel includes symbols, quotes from elders and tribal members, and photographs, all of which embody symbolism of traditional ways of knowing about water within the tribes.

Four interactives on earth science as it relates to water:

• Missouri River LED Map -- Press the buttons and light up the lights, learn about the basin and see how people living upstream and downstream are connected.
• Know your Watershed? -- Construct a watershed to see that it is made up not only of land and water, but also animals, plants, people, and all that we build upon it and add to it.
• Nonpoint-source Pollution Marble Game -- Guide a marble "raindrop" to the lake without letting it fall into such pollutants as oil spilled from a car or an animal feedlot.
• Which watershed is better for the river? -- Pump water from clouds onto two different watersheds: one rural and urban landscape. Compare how quickly the river fills up.

Theater with 30-minute film. A Dream for Water was created by Native Voices: the Center for Indigenous Media at the University of Washington in cooperation with the Piegan Institute. The High Definition film focuses on water stories in the present and features people who are making a difference in the Missouri River Basin.

Four different audio selections feature water stories told by children and adults.

An Educators Guide to Native Waters: Sharing the Source
Activities and background information to prepare students for the exhibit