Visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, which honors the rich culture of various Native American tribes and acknowledges the many misdeeds of the European settlers. When you enter the Museum, you will be met with a small security checkpoint, and that’s all you have to do to view the museum. The museum is free, so you won’t have to wait in those pesky lines for a ticket. Be sure to stop by the information desk in front of the security checkpoint for an information pamphlet. I like to grab one as a keepsake, but it’ll also be helpful during the self-guided tour.
The entrance to the exhibits is a large oval room, and in the middle is a sitting area that also holds performances of native rituals; if you’re lucky, you might catch one when you enter or leave the exhibitions. But don’t forget to look at the ceiling before you begin your tour! It holds a beautiful collage of paintings that depict early NYC and influential people. On the right will be the entrance to the first exhibition. It takes you through twelve locations in New York and teaches about the tribes that once thrived there. The exhibit does a great job of integrating storytelling with its teaching. There are comic strips and interactive, animated stories. My favorite was how the Haudenosaunee, a confederacy of five native nations, came together. The story is about the peacemaker going to each tribe and helping them with their issues as a gesture of peace and invitation. Your part in the story is to help the peacemaker solve the issues.
After you go through the New York exhibition, there will be three rooms with artifacts from native tribes from North America, Central America, and South America. While there isn’t much storytelling involved, the beauty of the artifacts more than makes up for it. A favorite of mine was a paper dress made by Maria Hubfield of the Wasauksing First Nation. The dress is made in the style of a jingle dress, a type of dress worn in pow-wows, and on each jingle is the name of an indigenous writer. I thought the dress itself was beautiful, but so was the way Hubfield honored her heritage and her fellow indigenous artists.
When you exit the last exhibition, you are back in the oval room. And that’s the museum, or at least what I experienced. Before you leave, visit the gift shop to support the Smithsonian. I picked up a small set of panpipes, but who knows what you’ll find that’ll pique your interest. Enjoy your visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian!