For Immediate Release Contact: Pat Kremer/Nancy O’Shea (312) 665-7100 (For Media Use Only) PAWNEE EARTH LODGE REOPENS AT THE FIELD MUSEUM Chicago, IL – Visitors to The Field Museum will experience the rich culture of the Central Plains Pawnees beginning Tuesday, September 14, when the Museum’s fully furnished replica of a Pawnee Earth Lodge reopens in its new location. The lodge, one of the Museum’s most popular exhibitions, has been enhanced and relocated within the permanent Native American exhibit halls. The move was made in conjunction with the creation of a new Ancient Americas exhibition, scheduled for completion in fall 2006. Constructed of cottonwood, willow and prairie grass, the lodge features traditional buffalo robe-covered sleeping platforms and Pawnee clothing, tools, weapons and trade store items. Visitors can handle models from Pawnee life while listening to ancient tribal songs and stories of their history and culture. Up to 45 visitors can be seated comfortably inside the dwelling, which stands 18-feet high at the center and is 38-feet in diameter. The gallery surrounding the structure includes a recreation of the night sky over the Great Plains, complete with constellations that visitors can highlight with the touch of an interactive button. According to the Field Museum’s Senior Project Manager, David Foster, the purpose of the constellations is two-fold: they are both visually engaging and represent the importance of the stars in Pawnee belief. “Pawnees were diligent star-watchers and planned their lives by watching the skies,” Foster said. The Pawnee Earth Lodge was originally built in 1977 under the active guidance of Pawnee tribal members. Representatives of the Pawnee Tribe returned to the museum for the 10th and 20th anniversaries to bless the lodge with Pawnee songs and will be consecrating the dwelling at its new location with a special cedar ceremony at the reopening on September 14. “The Pawnee Earth Lodge is an emblem of the longstanding relationship between The Field Museum and America’s Pawnees and has a place in the tribe’s recent oral history,” Foster said. The lodge has been popular with Field Museum visitors. More than 3.7 million people have visited the Pawnee Earth Lodge since its dedication in 1977. Before it was closed for renovation, it was the most requested school program. In addition to attracting students, the lodge offers foreign visitors an interactive way to learn about American history and provides an outlet to reach the Chicago area Native American community. Convenient indoor parking is available in the Soldier Field north garage—just steps from the Museum’s south entrance. The Field Museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive. For general Museum information, call (312) 922-9410, or visit our Planning Your Visit website.