Native American Sites To Visit in Arkansas

You may think the only major holidays in November are Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day, but it also happens to be Native American History Month. Native American History Month is a good time for us to remember the history of America began long before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Arkansas was home to many Native American tribes, most notably the Quapaw, Osage and Tunica. To celebrate our rich heritage and the contributions of Indigenous peoples in Arkansas, we’ve shared three Native American sites in our state below. 

The Museum of Native American History – Bentonville 

Bentonville’s Museum of Native American History was founded in 2006 by David Bogle, a registered member of the Cherokee Nation. The museum hosts a collection of over 10,000 Native American artifacts including ancient tools, ceramics and intricately woven goods.  The main exhibitions in the museum take visitors on a “14,000 year journey” through local Native American history in the Bentonville area, with artifacts from as early as 12,000 B.C.E. Plus, admission is free, and this year they are  offering several free virtual lectures and events. Learn more on their website. 

Cave Art in Rock House Cave, Petit Jean State Park – Morrilton

In the time period known as the Mississipian Era circa 900 A.D., Native Americans across southeast North America began settling along major waterways, including the Mississippi and the Arkansas river. In Petit Jean State Park today, visitors can see cave art left by the Indigenous settlers in the Rock House Cave. These archaeological drawings include symbols and animal pictograms like fish and buffalo . The meaning of the rock art is still a mystery today, however, archaeologists speculate that the cave was only inhabited for special rites and ceremonies. See it for yourself!  

Photo from Arkansas State Parks 

Toltec Mounds Archaeological State Park– Scott

The Toltec Mounds are the remains of a ceremonial complex for prehistoric Native Americans. Located just a short drive from Little Rock, the Toltec mounds surprisingly weren’t built by the Toltec Indians of Mesoamerica , but actually ancestors of North American Indians. The owner of the land from 1857 to 1900  mistakenly thought the Toltec Indians of Mexico had built the mounds, but later archaeological research proved otherwise. Researchers have suggested that the people who built the mounds had a culture similar to that of other contemporary Native American groups in the Mississippi Valley. Mounds such as these were used as religious and cultural sites for people living in the surrounding area. While the state park only has three remaining mounds, it was originally home to 18 mounds built next the natural oxbow lake. 

Photo from Arkansas State Parks

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