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National Museum of the American Indian

Smithsonian Voices

Michael Smith, founder and director of the American Indian Film Institute, at the 42nd annual American Indian Film Festival. November 2017, San Francisco. (Courtesy of the American Indian Film Festival)

Native Film Advocate Michael Smith (1951–2018)—An Appreciation

Michael Smith (Fort Peck Sioux Tribe), the founder and director of the American Indian Film Institute and American Indian Film Festival, was an advocate for Native people and a leader in bringing their voices to mainstream media through film. His dedication to showcasing films by or about American Indians and First Nations people was tireless. He could be seen at conventions, film festivals, tribal communities—even at local diners—where he would chat with anyone about his loves: the American Indian Film Festival and his family.

Cynthia Benitez | February 23, 2018

Representatives of the Navajo Nation read the original text of the Naaltsoos Sání, or Navajo Treaty of 1868, after its unveiling in the exhibition

The Treaty that Reversed a Removal—the Navajo Treaty of 1868—Goes on View

Written on paper from an army ledger book, the Navajo Nation Treaty reunited the Navajo with a portion of the land taken from them by the U.S. government. Between 1863 to 1866, in an event that became known as the Long Walk, the United States forced more than 10,000 Navajo from their homelands to a resettlement camp at Bosque Redondo, 300 miles to the east. But the Navajo made an eloquent case to return home and in 1868 negotiated a treaty that reversed their removal. The original treaty is on view at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., through early May.

Dennis Zotigh | February 21, 2018

Finalists in the design competition for National Native American Veterans Memorial to be built on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. From left to right: Leroy Transfield (Māori: Ngai Tahu/Ngati Toa), Daniel SaSuWeh Jones (Ponca), Stefanie Rocknak, Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne/Arapaho), James Dinh; not shown: Enoch Kelly Haney (Seminole). (Travis Helms, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

Finalists Present Their Design Concepts for the National Native American Veterans Memorial

The competition to design the National Native American Veterans Memorial received more than 120 submissions, from artists across the world. Five concepts were unanimously chosen as finalists by a jury of Native and non-Native artists, designers, and scholars. Today, the designers shared their concept drawings for the memorial and the ideas and experiences that shaped them.

Holly Stewart | February 7, 2018

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