The Archivists at the National Museum of the American Indian care for approximately 1,500 linear feet of manuscripts, over half a million photographs, and thousands of sound and audiovisual recordings dating from the late nineteenth century to the present. The Archives Center supports the mission of the museum by collecting, organizing, preserving, and making available papers, records, photographs, recordings, and ephemera that reflect the historical and contemporary lives of Native peoples throughout the Western Hemisphere. The archival collections are particularly focused on Native arts, cultures, knowledge systems, politics, events, and social and political movements. They also complement the museum's object collections and are used for scholarly research, exhibitions, journalism, documentary productions, and other research, educational, and Native community activities. The Archives Center also provides additional reference services to Native and Indigenous community members, scholars, researchers, journalists, museum staff, and the general public. The Archives Center is in the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland, and is open to researchers by appointment. Appointments must be scheduled a minimum of five business days in advance. To schedule an in-person research appointment or submit a reference question, email [email protected].
