Unique Experiences

Item Description

The winning bidder will receive a Gift certificate for a full Family Admission to the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum located in Warner, NH. A quick day trip for Massachusetts residents, the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum has recently been recognized as one of the Top Ten Native American Museums in the USA by PowWows.com!

THE MUSEUM
A respect for the earth and all living things is central to the Native American way of life and this is reflected throughout Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. Situated on 12.5-acres, MKIM is just 1 mile up Kearsarge Mountain Road in Warner, NH. Outdoors you will find the Medicine Wood Trail, the Betsy Janeway Arboretum and activity area with spectacular view of the Mink Hills.

Inside the Museum exhibits allow visitors to travel through time and space - displaying artifacts and presenting information on prehistoric to contemporary Native Americans from every corner of the North American continent. MKIM is always adding to and changing exhibits. This, along with workshops, lectures and special events, gives visitors a reason to return often. MKIM - one circle, 1000 stories. Experience it!

MEDICINE WOODS
Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum is dedicated to connecting people with ongoing American Indian cultural expression and encouraging responsible environmental action based on respect for nature.  Native Americans revered and utilized nature as the source of all raw material needed to sustain and enhance life. The Medicine Woods provides an opportunity to learn about the natural environment and some of the ways Natives historically used plants for food, medicine, dye, shelter and tools. Be sure to pick up your guide in the mail box as you enter the Medicine Woods. 

Land Acknowledgement
Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (MKIM) is a center for Native life throughout the Americas, both traditional and contemporary, and is situated on Abenaki homeland. The Abenaki have lived in northern New England and Quebec for thousands of years and are one of the five members of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Abenaki people were forced off their homeland by European explorers in the mid-1600’s. Many fled to Quebec, others died from European-borne diseases and wars, some were enslaved and others moved on to other areas. But today, Abenaki still thrive and approximately 3,200 reside in New England, continuing to share their traditional values, artistry and respect for nature.

History
In 1929 Grand Chief Sachem Silverstar of the Pequot tribe visited a second grade classroom and delivered a message that transformed the life of one young boy, Charles “Bud” Thompson. Silverstar emphasized the uniqueness of each individual and their interconnectedness to all other life. He told the children that within each of them was a special power, a talent, that could make the world a better place and that he hoped to someday hear how each and every one of them had made a positive difference. That same year, while on summer vacation at his grandfather’s farm in Connecticut, Bud found an arrowhead and his lifelong love of American Indian artifacts was cemented.

The philosophy of Silverstar continues to resonate for Bud and his wife, Nancy, Co-founders of Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. The Thompsons were deeply troubled by the harm being done to the environment by greed and apathy. With the help of friends, Bud and Nancy set in motion a plan to create a unique museum, not just a mausoleum of artifacts, but an education and cultural center – a “Museum with a Voice” to pass along Silverstar’s message. The artifacts, instead of being just thingswould inform the study of cultures that understood how to live harmoniously with this land so as to leave it fruitful and beautiful for generations to come. With this in mind, the Museum galleries, grounds and gardens were designed as teaching tools while also functioning as tranquility zones in which visitors would find respite from the hectic pace of modern life.

Consider these statistics in the light of Silverstar’s brief visit. In the 27 years since this “dream museum” was founded, more than 250,000 visitors from all over the U.S. and 34 foreign countries have experienced the Museum with a Voice. MKIM is a favorite site for educational school field trips, and hosts over 5,000 school children a year!

An inspired teacher, Silverstar has passed away but his message lives on and thousands of lives have been touched by his inspirational philosophy. One man laid out a road map, a clear path to follow; one boy took that message to heart and made it his life’s journey and we are all the better for it.

Item Special Note

Museum opens on May 1st for the 2022 season. 

Certificate must be presented at time of visit.

Reservations are highly recommended.