Warriors Weekend at Fort Necessity includes program on Indian Women and War

Date: July 31, 2009
Contact: Brian Reedy, 724-329-5512

FARMINGTON, Pa. – The National Park Service will host an “Indian War Party” encampment at Fort Necessity National Battlefield on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9. The camp will be open to visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days.

Re-enactment groups will represent a Lenape war party allied with the French and a Cherokee war party allied with the British. The military goal of the French and Indian War parties was to harass the colonists to such a degree as to make them want to move back east and no longer try to establish communities of British colonies west of the Alleghenies. These parties conducted raids along the Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia frontiers during the 1750’s. Native woodland fighting tactics, weapons, trail cooking, and items carried by warriors will be demonstrated. The involvement of different native groups in the French and Indian War will be discussed. Re-enactors welcome inquiries concerning those early years.

A sixty minute walking tour of the camp will be offered four times each day with instructional stops. Participants will learn about native women, trail signs, prisoners, camping, food/cooking, and weapons. The program also includes a hand-on test of the visitors’ new skills. These programs will begin at the fur trade tent near the visitor center at 9:30, 11:00, 1:30 and 3:00. The tour includes about 900 yards of walking and goes through the campsite and onto the Braddock Road. Visitors are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and bring water. There is no additional charge for this program; however tour size will be limited. Access to the camps will be restricted during the tours.

“The roles of Eastern Woodland Indian Women in War” is a special presentation at 3:00 p.m. Friday, August 7. Husband and wife living history interpreters Dianne Anestis and Doug Wood explore how women influenced war decisions in the matrilineal, gender-balanced cultures of eastern North American Indians. Find out particularly how Indian women influenced the outcome of the French and Indian War in the Ohio Valley and Potomac regions.

General admission for the park is $5.00 per adult. Children 15 and under are free of charge. The fee is collected at the park’s Visitor Center and is valid for seven days. Annual passes are available for $15.00. For more information on this and other programs at Fort Necessity, please call [phone] or visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/fone.