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Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site gives visitors an introduction to ancient pottery techniques and an up-close look at majestic birds of prey on Saturday, June 14.

Chris Dunn will show participants the coil technique to form pottery and the way Mississippians used clay mixed with burned, crushed mussel shell. The workshop for adults runs from noon to 4 p.m. in the Interpretive Center’s covered patio.

The fee is $30, payable to Dunn on the day of the workshop, and he will provide all the materials. To register, call 618-346-5160 and leave your name and telephone number.

Dunn, who has art degrees from Southern Illinois University and California State University at Long Beach, became interested in Mississippian ceramics after visiting the Kincaid Mounds site in southern Illinois. He began experimenting with the replication of the prehistoric pottery using only the methods known to have been employed by these ancient potters.

Also on June 14, the World Bird Sanctuary will present a Raptor Awareness Show in the Interpretive Center auditorium at 2 p.m. This free show will feature live birds of prey, including owls, hawks, a buzzard, kestrel and perhaps an eagle, as well as other birds. Sanctuary representatives will discuss the differences and similarities of the various species and their habitats and characteristics. The highlight of the show is when some of the birds fly above the heads of the audience.

Cahokia Mounds once was the city at the heart of a sprawling Native American culture. Thousands of people fished, farmed, worshiped and traded with other cultures.

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