Native Peoples of Alabama

When: September 29 - October 3, 2008
Where: Alabama
How Much: $895 ($225 single supplement)

A place of natural beauty, Alabama is a state where great rivers and great cultures meet. Here, the natural environment was integral to the daily lives of the Native Americans who celebrated it in their spiritual practices. By the 1800s, Alabama's plentiful game, timberland, water, and soil were the lure for waves of settlers seeking this bounty of nature as their hope for a new life. Powerful Mississippian Chiefs, General Andrew Jackson, Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, Creek leaders such as William Weatherford, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, George Washington Carver and Dr. Martin Luther King all accomplished great things against the landscape of Alabama. Come with us as we follow in the footsteps of naturalist William Bartram and explore the beauty and history of Alabama - from ancient earthen mounds to Creek War battlefields.  We’ll spend our last day at the Moundville Native American Festival featuring crafts, performances, demonstrations and food.

Monday, September 29
We will meet in Birmingham for a welcome reception and introductory lecture that will prepare you for a week of exploring the most beautiful and historic places of Alabama - where native peoples built some of the largest earthen mounds in the country and fought battles that would change American History.

Tuesday, September 30
We will begin the day with a trip just south of Selma to visit Old Cahawba. Here we’ll tour the ruins of Alabama’s first state capital as well as the site of a large prehistoric Indian village. This extensive site, largely preserved by the Conservancy, is now a state historic park. Next we will head south to Montgomery, Alabama’s capital on the Alabama River, to visit the Alabama’s Archives and History museum. This museum is the nation’s oldest state funded archives. It houses rare artifacts such as a Washington Peace Medal and a beaded sash and silver earrings that belonged to Osceola. We will spend the next two nights in downtown Montgomery.

Wednesday, October 1
In the morning, we’ll travel to Tuskegee, home of the famous Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington and where George Washington Carver spent over 40 years teaching.  Then we’ll visit the lovely town of Wetumpka, located on the Coosa River. Here, we will tour Fort Toulouse-Jackson Park, often referred to as “Alabama’s most historic site.”  It was first inhabited by Mississippian Period Indians who built the mounds there and at the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers.  We will also see the reconstructed version of a French Colonial frontier fort settlement and the ruins of Fort Jackson.  This is where Red Stick Indian Chief William Weatherford surrendered to Andrew Jackson, ending the Creek Wars and opening much of Alabama to white settlement.

Thursday, October 2
In the morning, we will visit the first White House of the Confederacy, where Jefferson Davis took his oath of office and lived during part of the Civil War.  Then we’ll end our tour with a bang by visiting the famous Moundville Archaeological Park. Second only to Cahokia in size and scope, Moundville represents the pinnacle of Mississippian Mound construction. We will tour the mounds with archaeologists who have spent years excavating and studying them. Our visit will be timed to coincide with the Moundville Native American Festival. The lives of Alabama’s Native Americans were closely related to the natural environment as they farmed, hunted and fished to survive. Their society recognized nobles by birth and praised the feats of great warriors and holy people. In their art, they celebrated the importance and beauty of all creatures. Each year, descendants of these vibrant cultures return, celebrating the South’s rich Indian heritage at the Moundville Native American Festival. This annual four-day festival is one of Alabama’s top 20 tourism events and features crafts, performances, demonstrations and food. Afterward, we will return to Birmingham.  

Friday, October 3
Participants depart for home.

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