Description: The National Museum of the American Indian is the newest of the Smithsonian Museums, opened in September of 2004. It’s located on the south side of the National Mall, just east of the National Air and Space Museum. As with the other Smithsonian Museums, admission is free.
The museum building itself is an exhibit. It features a curvy exterior of tan colored limestone, with simulated surrounding wetlands and waterfalls. There are some plants indigenous to various tribes planted in the wetlands amidst various monuments to the tribes, such as totem poles. Once we entered the museum, we found ourselves in a large lobby with a rotunda featuring a large dome with a glass top. The glass dome top and the large windows let in an abundance of natural light, giving the place a warm feel to it. The lobby featured several displays of tools used by Native Americans in the past, as well as several hand crafted canoes built with the tools.
We were told that the best experience was to start on the fourth floor at the "Who We Are" exhibit. We took the elevator up to the exhibit, which is a permanent exhibit in the Lelawi Theater, a circular planetarium-like room with a faux firepit and projection screens in the middle of the room. When the exhibit session started, it showed different constellations and celestial bodies on the planetarium above and how they shaped the lives of different Native American peoples. They highlighted many different groups, including the Pueblo and Lakota, as well as groups we usually don’t really associate with Native Americans, such as the Guatemalan Maya, and the Mapuche of Chile. As the various Native American peoples were featured, different displays of Native American artifacts throughout the room were lighted in concert. The entire exhibit was very moving and well done.
We left the Lelawi Theater proceeded down a flight of stairs to the "Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World" exhibit. The exhibit is divided into different sections, each featuring a different Native American group, such as the Alaskan Yupik, Anishinaabe of the Great Lakes region, and the Hupu of California, to name a few. The front of each exhibit section identifies the area the tribes call home, highlights the lives of some notable members of the groups and how they currently live. Inside the individual exhibits, there are various daily artifacts that were historically used and some items that are currently used. Interactive video exhibits also show different events and celebrations of the Native Americans, such as Denver’s Pow Wow and Mexico’s Day of the Dead.
We visited the "Our Peoples: Giving Voice to Our Histories" exhibit. This exhibit aims to accurately portray the history of Native American people as they interacted with newcomers in the New World to present day. The exhibit features groups such as the Kiowa of Oklahoma, Seminoles of Florida, Cherokee of the Carolinas, Wixaritari of Mexico, and Ka’Por of Brazil, to name a few. The exhibit deals with seizure of Native American land and their natural resources, smallpox, efforts to eradicate Native Americans, and legislation against them. There is also a large display of weaponry used by and against Native Americans. The end of the exhibit stresses that this isn’t a display about the oppression of the Native American people, but a testament to how they managed to keep their culture alive.
On the second floor, we visited a temporary exhibit about Native Americans and skateboarding. Skateboarding has become a huge sport and cultural phenomenon among many Native Americans and Native Hawaiians. The exhibit showcased different Native American skateboarding competitors, different skateboards, and how skateboarding has inspired Native American youth. We also visited an exhibit about how various Native Americans have contributed to American society, yet struggle to maintain their cultural identities.
National Museum of the American Indian is a very good learning experience, as many of us have only learned about Native American in textbooks when we were schoolchildren, and even then, it seems that Native American history and cultural education is minimized. This Smithsonian Museum serves to give us a good education about Native American peoples, their history, their cultures, struggles, and how they actively contribute. Even the gorgeous building itself highlights building materials indigenous to some Native American areas. I wouldn’t overlook this attraction.
Close