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The first American national museum designed and run by indigenous peoples, the Smithsonian Institution?s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC opened in 2004. It represents both the United States as a singular nation and the myriad indigenous nations within its borders. Constructed with materials closely connected to Native communities across the continent, the museum contains more than 800,000 objects and three permanent galleries and routinely holds workshops and seminar series. This first comprehensive look at the National Museum of the American Indian encompasses a variety of perspectives, including those of Natives and non-Natives, museum employees, and outside scholars across disciplines such as cultural studies and criticism, art history, history, museum studies, anthropology, ethnic studies, and Native American studies. The contributors engage in critical dialogues about key aspects of the museum?s origin, exhibits, significance, and the relationship between Native Americans and other related museums.
The National Museum of the American Indian is one of the world's great conservators of cultural heritage, and its collections hold more than 800,000 objects spanning 13,000 years of history of the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere, from Tierra del Fuego in the south to the Arctic in the north. Drawing on new insights from archaeology, history, and art history, Infinity of Nations uses culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant objects as a point of entry to understanding the people who created them. Following an introduction on the power of objects to engage our imagination, each chapter presents an overview of a region of the Americas and its cultural complexities, writt...
How much do you really know about totem poles, tipis, and Tonto? There are hundreds of Native tribes in the Americas, and there may be thousands of misconceptions about Native customs, culture, and history. In this illustrated guide, experts from Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian debunk common myths and answer frequently asked questions about Native Americans past and present. Readers will discover the truth about everything from kachina dolls to casinos, with answers to nearly 100 questions, including: Did Indians really sell Manhattan for twenty-four dollars worth of beads and trinkets? Are dream catchers an authentic tradition? Do All Indians Live in Tipis? Second Edition features short essays, mostly Native-authored, that cover a range of topics including identity; origins and histories; clothing, housing, and food; ceremony and ritual; sovereignty; animals and land; language and education; love and marriage; and arts, music, dance, and sports.
The Smithsonian Institution's new National Museum of the American Indian is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of Native Americans. Spanning more than ten thousand years, the one million objects in the museum's collections represent the extraordinary scope of Indian life in the Americas. From ancient stone points to contemporary Indian paintings, these objects make vividly clear the diversity and vigorous creativity of Native cultures from the Arctic to the southern tip of South America.
This Tiny Folio volume provides an impressive overview of the most significant collection of art by Native Americans anywhere in the world. Established by an act of Congress in 1989, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and the arts of Native Americans. The museum’s collections span more than 10,000 years and—as this lavishly illustrated miniature volume demonstrates—include a multitude of fascinating objects, from ancient clay figurines to contemporary Indian paintings, from all over the Americas.
The National Museum of the American Indian, the newest addition to the Smithsonian Institution's most
Seven leading thinkers on the presentation of Native American history and contemporary cultures discuss how the essential ideas behind the creation of the National Museum of the American Indian initially were implemented and potentially could evolve. In addition to honoring the leadership and contributions of the museum's founding director, W. Richard West, Jr., the authors explore such topics as repatriation, the representation of Native voices in exhibitions and programs, and the museum's ongoing effort to develop its intellectual authority. Synthesizing the papers presented at a symposium of the same name hosted by the museum in October 2007, Past, Present, and Future takes a candid look at the National Museum of the American Indian's complex genesis and future challenges.
Museums -- along with books, newspapers, and Wild West shows in the 19th century, movies and television in the 20th -- have shaped our perceptions of American Indians. How have museums' representations of Indians influenced society's understanding of them? How are Indians presented in exhibitions and programs today? What new directions will museums take in the 21st century? This book is the result of a symposium organized by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). It brings together six prominent museum professionals -- Native and non-Native -- to examine the ways in which Indians and their cultures have been represented by museums in North America and to...