What is the most interesting Native American historic site to visit?

2015-07-28T11:45:00-04:00

Do you appreciate Native American culture? What have you found to be the most interesting Native American historical site to visit? What is its significance? When is the best time to visit? Costs?

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jul 28 at 2015 11:47 AM

2015-07-28T11:47:07-04:00

Well since this whole country is native American that is a very interesting question CH (MAJ) William Beaver. I particularly like the Indian trails that have become roads in the eastern USA especially through the Appalachian mountains.
Actually all of North, South and Central America are replete with Native American sites - The Inca, Aztec and Mayan sites are pretty spectacular from the pictures I have seen.
In North America I would say the Black Hills where Custer and his troops died and Cherokee, North Carolina is somewhat touristy; but, it is a beautiful area.
Ladies and Gentlemen I thought you would be able to recommend areas to appreciate Native American culture where you live or have traveled to in separate responses :-)
LTC Stephen C., MSG Brad Sand, SPC Private RallyPoint Member, GySgt Wayne A. Ekblad, CPT Private RallyPoint Member, CW5 Charlie Poulton, CW5 Private RallyPoint Member, MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca, PO1 Private RallyPoint Member, PO1 John Miller, PO3 Steven Sherrill, SGT Rick Ash, SGT Robert Hawks

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 28 at 2015 3:26 PM

2015-07-28T15:26:54-04:00

Since nobody is jumping on the band wagon I will support you. Yes I have seen Pueblo Indian ruins.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Jul 28 at 2015 3:34 PM

2015-07-28T15:34:06-04:00

Machu Picchu or Chichen Itza? Each in their own way. I think both are must sees.

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made Jul 28 at 2015 3:49 PM

2015-07-28T15:49:49-04:00

Chaplain, my family and I have visited both Mesa Verde and the Navajo Tribal Park near Oljato , UT a couple of times. I'd have to say that the Tribal Park is one of my favorite spots on Earth... The Four Corners region is magnificent!

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 28 at 2015 4:36 PM

2015-07-28T16:36:56-04:00

There are several very interesting sites you might want to consider.

Mesa Verde

http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm

Mesa Verde National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 28 at 2015 6:39 PM

2015-07-28T18:39:14-04:00

Mesa Verde, bar none.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 28 at 2015 9:53 PM

2015-07-28T21:53:38-04:00

One of my personal favorites is Pipestone National Monument near Pipestone, Minnesota. It is as significant to many Native peoples today as it was long before the arrival of white settlers to the U.S. as the red pipestone quarried here has been used for making ceremonial pipes used by numerous tribes from across the country for centuries. In a way, this sacred site is similar to Mecca, for it has been written and passed on through the Native oral tradition that warring tribes and tribes that may have been suspicious of bands traveling from far away regions were granted safe passage to come to this site for the purposes of quarrying and pipe-making. Even today, visitors to the Monument will witness members of different tribes on the site, quarrying just as their ancestors did centuries before.
Oh, pipestone is a unique mineral, it is not granite as it appears to be in pictures. Whites gave it the name Catlinite, after the famed frontier painter George Catlin, who befriended many bands of Native Americans and was the first white man invited to the sacred ground to capture this timeless ritual on canvas.

Pipestone National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)

For countless generations, American Indians have quarried the red pipestone found at this site. These grounds are sacred to many people because the pipestone quarried here is carved into pipes used for prayer. Many believe that the pipe's smoke carries one's prayer to the Great Spirit. The traditions of quarrying and pipemaking continue here today.

Response by SPC Katherine Karpinski made Jul 30 at 2015 11:23 AM

2015-07-30T11:23:29-04:00

did my AIT at ft gordon

Response by SGT Aaron Atwood made Feb 4 at 2018 11:33 AM

2018-02-04T11:33:01-05:00

There's Window Rock in Arizona. Very sacred spot for the Navajo. My band went there last year for a ceremony for the WWII code talkers, and we hiked up to WR afterwards.

Response by MSG Stan Hutchison made Nov 7 at 2021 5:55 PM

2021-11-07T17:55:37-05:00

My wife and I have travelled around to many of the old ruins. I liked Chaco Canyon the best, mostly because they are easy to access and one can actually walk among the ruins.