Program Samples

American History Comes to life in one of many various presentations about the indigenous tribes of North America and their relationships with the Earth, European settlers as well as each other. With stories and over 300 authentic hand-crafted historical reproductions, the programs generate an interest in and understanding of the "First Americans," and cover historical, cultural and ecological concepts. Demonstrating authentic frontier skills like fire-starting without matches, making tools from nature and sign language, Shines and Gray Wolf present a new perspective of America's exciting history to all ages!

The Tipi Program allows participants to actually help Shines and Gray Wolf set up an authentic 16-foot Cheyenne-style canvas tipi. Once the lodge is set up, guests are seated inside for a discussion on tipi etiquette, Plains tribal lore, Native American sign language and questions/answers. Program is seasonal because we live in it at times; check availability.

Native American and/or Mountain Man Living History Excursions are one-day to two-week trips to wilderness settings and may include backpacking, survival skills, canoeing, horse-packing, historical rendezvous, rafting, prospecting, living in a tipi and more. Activities include tomahawk throwing, cooking over open fires, hunting and fishing, muzzle loading rifle and pistol shoots, wildlife watching, edible and useful plant identification, all with stories and facts regarding the Plains Tribes and Mountain Men in the 1700 and 1800s. All trips are customized for each group; there are endless combinations of activities and many different locations to visit. We have professional guides all across the West; please ask for more details.

Native American Sign Language, Stories and Songs will delight children of all ages, as they participate by "signing and singing along" to recordings of acoustic guitar ballads. Tribes from all over North America are represented in the Storytelling, with a hidden lesson in each legend. Mother Earth is at the core of most of the songs and stories. Hands-on items (like feathers, antlers and reproductions of historical items) help bring history alive. Children come away from this program with a better understanding of the environment and indigenous peoples of this country.

An Outdoor Adventure awaits hikers as they join Shines for a walk in the wilderness of your area. Plants & trees are identified; wildlife is "scouted out;" the cycles of water & the seasons are covered & info on the history of the area is shared. A snack break in the middle of the hike centers around local tribes. Pine-needle tea, pinon nuts & more will show youngsters that food can be found on the land, if you know where to look! A popular activity for all ages.

Native American Games will help kids of all ages sleep better, after they've been tuckered out a bit playing in the same fun ways many tribes' kids have for centuries! Adults often join in on the fun, especially with Stick Ball, a Native American lacrosse game. Feather Darts (Apache), Okotoks (Lakota Sioux), Turn-About (Salish & Chinook) and many more games keep them all busy and laughing while they learn that other cultures aren't really so different from ours!

The Primitive Cooking Demonstration is a two-hour trip back in time complete with roasted buffalo or deer meat, Dutch oven-baked biscuits, seasonal wild edible greens, rice pudding, pemmican, pine needle tea and campfire-roasted coffee beans boiled into frontier coffee. Guests carve their own roasting sticks, while Shines and Cast provide a running historic dialogue describing the life of the early western Mountain Men, Pioneers and their relationship with Native Peoples. Menu variations are available.

All programs geared toward audience: K-12

thru elderhostel ages.

A small sampling of programs from 1 hour

to several weeks.

Customized for you...