Члены племени Уичита собирают траву для восстановления традиционного жилища

Harvesting history: Wichita Tribe gathers grass to bring tradition to life WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Members of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes spent hours on Wednesday collecting switchgrass from the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge. The grass will be used to finish a traditional grass house at the Etzanoa Cultural & Immersion Center at the Etzanoa Conservancy in Arkansas City. The conservancy started to welcome visitors to the center this summer. The space documents the history of the Etzanoa community, a sprawling indigenous community that was active more than 400 years ago. People who lived there are ancestors of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. Kansans reflect on late Sen. Nancy Kassebaum's legacy at Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Derek Ross, a member of the Wichita tribe and an indigenous scholar in residence at Baylor University, said grass houses were a key piece of culture and community. Ross was one of the people who worked to cut, sort and package several bundles of switch grass to be used to construct part of the sides and top of a grass house. The art of building a grass house has been passed down for generations. Ross said that a man named Frank Miller was born in the early 1900s. He became a master at constructing grass houses, and he passed down the skill to Ross' uncle, who then passed the skill on to Ross. Ross said that the ability to build a grass house is a tradition that needs to be preserved along with the who, what and when of the Wichita tribe. "There's so many people in my family and other tribes across the United States who are doing great things to keep the knowledge, the history, the heritage, the language of Native people alive," Ross said. "And it's really — it is a battle, but it's not a battle that we're going to lose." Conservation milestone: Sedgwick County Zoo raises rare baby birds He adds that from about 1450 to 1700, thousands of members of the Etzanoa community lived in what is now southern Kansas, dotting the land with about 200 grass houses. Ross said that to complete the grass house, he expects to be harvesting grass harvest for another three weeks. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.