Native American artifacts show comes to MPCHS

MT. PLEASANT — Collectors of and experts in Native American culture and artifacts will offer an opportunity to learn as they fill Mt. Pleasant High School’s commons this Saturday for the annual Mt. Pleasant Artifact show.

While great minds like Stephen Hawkins would tell society to, “Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious,” Brent Japsen, a collector of Native American artifacts, would encourage people to look down for similar reasons.

For well over 30 years Japsen has hunted for and collected various Native American artifacts which now make for an impressive collection that he intends to display at the Mt. Pleasant Artifact Show this Saturday from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. as he hosts the event.

Japsen got his start collecting at just 25 years old thanks to some persistent friends that continually invited to go duck hunting.

“I finally went one day, and it was about this time of year and there wasn’t a lot going on around the creek and you’re walking with a lot of ice and snow on the banks,” he recalled. “I came up on a little circle rock and there was a pink arrowhead laying there. It wasn’t a nice one, but I was hooked like a fish.

Even with 38 years of collecting under his belt and a couple thousand whole artifacts and many other broken ones, he wishes he had started sooner.

“If I had started as a kid, God knows how many I’d have,” he commented.

After working alongside another enthusiast to put on this event for many years, this is the first year Japsen has had to host it on his own.

While he thinks it had ought to keep this will be Japsen’s last year on the organizational side of things as he hopes someone will step up to take his place. Japsen wishes to step down for health reasons, but also so he can just enjoy the show in the future.

“It would be nice to and hopefully if you know if somebody does step up and take it over, it can still be in Mt. Pleasant,” he said. “If not, hopefully it can be in some other town close by.”

According to Japsen, the show will consist of at least 20 collectors from not only Iowa but Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

“We’ve had collectors in the past come from Indiana and South Dakota,” he said.

Each collector brings their own expertise to the event along with their unique artifacts to share with the community.

“A lot of the artifacts you’ll be seeing will be 6, 8, 10,000 years old or older,” Japsen said.

According to Japsen, attendees will see artifacts ranging from everyday tolls and weapons like arrowheads to game stones, smoking pipes, and various adornments.

“Doc Savage’s wife Deb will be bringing Indian rugs and other types of artifacts,” Japsen said.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com