National+Museum+of+the+American+Indian

Alfonso Rodriguez: National Museum of the American Indian The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is the newest museum on the National Mall in Washington, DC, showcasing Native American objects from ancient pre-Columbian civilizations through the 21st century. Multimedia presentations, live performances and hands-on demonstrations bring the Native American people’s history and culture to life. The National Museum of the American Indian features films, performances of music and dance, tours, lectures, craft demonstrations and special programs throughout the year. Dining at this museum is a real treat. The Mitsitam Native Foods Café offers meals and snacks inspired by the culinary traditions of Native Americans. Choose among sandwiches, entrees, soups, desserts and beverages from five different regions. See more about restaurants and dining Near the National Mall. There are two gift shops: The Chesapeake Museum Store, on the first level, featuring jewelry, textiles, and other works by Native artisans and the Roanoke Museum Store, on the second level, offers a more extensive collection of souvenirs, jewelry, children’s books and toys. An Indian Summer Showcase, a summer evening concert series outside the museum's main entrance on the Welcome Plaza, is presented twice a month from June through August on the 2nd and 4th Fridays at 5:30 p.m. The concert series features Native music from throughout the Americas. ___

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

**BY: LIZ MANZUR **



The National Mall has the National Museum of the American Indian as one of the newest historic place built. The National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., is located on the National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building. This museum has one of the biggest collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world in total like 266,000 that symbolize over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 native cultures throughout the Americas. The museum holds a lot of Natives history like pictures, notes and many other things. If you are not able to visit this museum you should get online in the official webpage you can see pictures of the artifacts, of the clothing, and many other things you can also see videos.

Heye the foundator of this museum in 1916, spend like 10 years researching and collecting many artifacts and cultural things of Native Americans when he gathered enough he opened this museum available for all tourists in Washington D.C. Heye’s collecting rapidly extended into archaeological objects. By 1903, when many people knew about what he was doing he started buying large archaeological collections from all around the world by the end of 1906 he had like 10,000 objects. He began needing support from wealthy friends to make his purpose happen.

Most of the NMAI object collections are dimensional objects that are handmade, produced, used, designed, or specially made by Native people. The museum has a little bit of everything these things presented in the museum stereotype how Native Americans live and they tell you about their history and culture. The Native Americans are really talented persons they can do everything. The current Exhibitions in Washington, DC seem very creative and unique. I think that the Native Americans are really talented persons.

These are the current exhibitions: R.C Gorman: Early prints and drawings, 1966-1974, Vantage Point: The Contemporary Native Art Collection, Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake, Our Universes: Traditional knowledge shapes our world, our peoples: giving voice to our hostiles, our lives: contemporary life and identities. The national museum of American Indian is located Fourth Street & Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20560.

The building’s distinguishing rounded shape is the basis of the architecture. The project was developed by Jones, House, and Sakiestewa, along with the architecture firms Jones & Jones. The landscape and architecture of the National Museum of the American Indian are exclusive to the Smithsonian Institution and to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. understanding Native people’s connection to the land they created this place as a memorial to them. Native people believe that the earth remembers the experiences of past generations. The NMAI gives home to more than 27,000 trees, bushes, and herbaceous plants representing 145 species.

//National Museum of the American Indian//. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. < http://www.nmai.si.edu/>. //NMAI Indigenous Geography//. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. < http://www.indigenousgeography.si.edu/>. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/06/arts/d   Copyright. All rights reserved to Liz Manzur. ATS.