Wigwasigamig, August 1960

It's kind of surprising how few photos I have from inside the Indian Village (not counting the Dance Circle, that is), considering how many hundreds of other Frontierland images are in my collection. 

This twilight shot shows the crowds milling about the birch bark "Wigwasigamig". (See a photo of the nearby sign HERE). The Ojibwe people built these sapling and bark domed structures, where several families would live. Europeans mispronounced the word wigwasigamig as "wigwam".

That guy to the left looks like he stepped in bison poo. "Gee whiz, why is it always ME?".

While movies of the 1950's frequently portrayed Native Americans as bloodthirsty savages, Walt Disney took a fairly progressive view and showed what life might be like in a peaceful village. Food is being prepared, clothing is being made, hides scraped, and a young boy and his dog watch with curiosity as we pass in our steamboat.