BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
OREGONIA -- Small shards of stone fell around Danny Roush's feet as he carefully chipped away at a piece of flint in his hand.
Chief Softshell Turtle Netz of Walbridge, Ohio, plays the flute at the celebration.
(Gary Landers photo)
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With short, firm strokes, he struck the edge of the flint with part of a moose's antler.
Mr. Roush, who is part Cherokee, was demonstrating at this weekend's eighth annual Fort Ancient Celebration how to make arrowheads the way ancient American Indians did.
"You have to strike the flint at just the right angle," said Mr. Roush, who lives in Portland, Ohio. "It's a war against the stone."
Despite the soggy ground from Friday's thunderstorms, hundreds of people came to Fort Ancient Saturdayto learn about the many facets of ancient American Indian culture -- from making jewelry and pottery to shooting arrows and playing flutes and drums.
"Our primary goal is to educate the public about Native American history," said Jack Blosser, site manager at Fort Ancient, whose earthen walls were built by the Hopewell people 2,000 years ago. Those walls form the largest prehistoric Indian hilltop enclosure in North America.
Jim Huggins of Madeira and his 12-year-old son, Brett, came to the Celebration on Saturday for education and fun.
After a brief instruction from Dean Horine, Brett tried his hand at throwing a tomahawk at a large piece of wood about 10 yards away.
"Stand sideways and point the tomahawk at the target," said Mr. Horine, a Dayton resident who is part Cherokee. "Then bring your arm down just like a pitcher throwing a fastball."
Brett's first throw sailed over the target. His second stuck in the wood.
When Mr. Huggins was a boy, his father built a summer recreation camp in northern Minnesota near several American Indian reservations. "I learned a lot from them about Mother Nature, a lot more than I could have learned from a book," he said.
Events like the Fort Ancient Celebration help dispel myths about Native Americans, said Tom Netz.
He enthralled an audience Saturday with ancient stories passed down through his tribe.
"Telling people these stories is a way of giving them a personal history lesson," said Mr. Netz, who lives near Toledo. "If you can share your culture with others, they're better able to relate to you and to show you respect."
The two-day Fort Ancient Celebration will be open noon-6 p.m. today. The Museum at Fort Ancient, which recently underwent a $3.5 million expansion, will be open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. today.
