Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

Dennis Zotigh

Dennis W. Zotigh (Kiowa/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo/Isante Dakota Indian) is a member of the Kiowa Gourd Clan and San Juan Pueblo Winter Clan and a descendant of Sitting Bear and No Retreat, both principal war chiefs of the Kiowas. Dennis works as a writer and cultural specialist at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

cover of If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving, showing a Native American man watching a ship in the bay

'If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving' by Chris Newell Exposes New Truths About a Major American Holiday

Just in time for Thanksgiving, this newly released book explains the events surrounding the original feast at Plimoth – from a Native perspective.

Theresa Secord (Penobscot, b. 1958). Ear of corn basket, 2003. Maine. 26/1694. By looking at Thanksgiving in the context of living cultures, we can make the holiday a more meaningful part of teaching and learning, in school and at home.

Five Ideas to Change Teaching About Thanksgiving, in Classrooms and at Home

Coyote and Turkeys Illustration

Native Ghosts and the Supernatural

The National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. to Reopen May 21

Mitchelene BigMan with fellow members of the Native American Warriors. (Photo courtesy of NMAI)

National Women's History Month: Mitchelene BigMan

Deb Haaland speaks at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the National Native American Veterans Memorial, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. Paul Morigi/AP Images for Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.

Reactions From Indian Country to Deb Haaland's Confirmation as Secretary of the Interior

N8V Dance Fitness instructor Michelle Reed (far right) poses with participants of the Hannaville Indian Community of Michigan (Photo used with permission, courtesy of Michelle Reed)

Meet Three Native Women Combining Powwow Dance With Other Types of Fitness

Hank Adams carries a letter from the White House to Chief Frank Fools Crow (Oglala Lakota) during the siege of Wounded Knee. Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, 1973. (Hank Adams Collection)

“The Most Important Indian”—In Memory of Hank Adams (1943–2020)

“Hogan in the Snow,” ca. 1985. Painted by Robert Draper (Diné [Navajo], 1938–2000). Chinle, Navajo Nation, Arizona. 26/6481 (National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

Christmas Across Indian Country, During the Pandemic and Before

Volunteers with the Navajo & Hopi Families Covid-19 Relief Fund distribute food and other essential supplies to isolated communities and farmsteads on the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation. As part of the Smithsonian's virtual program 24 Hours in a Time of Change, Shandiin Herrera (Diné)—seated on the left, wearing a Duke University sweatshirt—describes how this grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic came together last spring and shares her experiences as the fund's volunteer coordinator in Monument Valley, Utah. (Photo by Karney Hatch)

Smithsonian Wants Your 2020 Stories

Percy Sandy (A:shiwi [Zuni], 1918–1974).

Seven Native American Chefs Share Thanksgiving Recipes

Rebecca Hill-Genia in the award-winning documentary

Films for Fans of All Kinds from the Museum’s Native Cinema Showcase 2020, This Year Screening Online

Doña Ofelia Esparza decorates the ofrenda

Celebrate the Day of the Dead from Home with Music, Butterfly Science, Cultural Presentations, and Family Activities

California Natives gather in front of City Hall to celebrate Los Angeles's second annual Indigenous Peoples Day. October 14, 2019, Los Angeles, California. (Photo courtesy of Helena Tsosie)

Rethinking How We Celebrate American History—Indigenous Peoples’ Day

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2020, the museum brings young Native activists together online to discuss the tension between history and memory, and how both are reflected in the current racial and social landscape. Hip-hop artist Frank Waln contributes a musical performance. From left to right: Musician Frank Waln; panelists Brook Thompson, Dylan Baca, Lina Krueck, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Michaela Pavlat, and Alberto Correa III. (Photos courtesy of the participants)

Five Ideas for Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2020

Native American veterans of the Vietnam War stand in honor as part of the color guard at the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial. November 11, 1990, Washington, D.C. (Photo by Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Native Americans Have Always Answered the Call to Serve: National VFW Day 2020

Cody Ayon (Tsistsistas [Southern Cheyenne]) enlisted in both the U.S. Navy and the New Mexico Army National Guard. The Native community of Albuquerque welcomed then-Lieutenant Ayon home with a Soldier Dance after his service during the Iraq War. (Steven Clevenger [Osage], courtesy of Cody Ayon)

“We took our way of life with us to keep us strong. We represented our tribes in keeping with these values.” —Captain Cody Ayon

An Indigenous couple marries on the beach at Assateague Island National Seashore and Assateague State Park. Many of the United States' National Parks are places of historical, cultural, and sacred meaning for Native communities. (Photo used with the permission of Desirée Shelley Flores)

How Native Americans Bring Depth of Understanding to the Nation’s National Parks

A Diné child begins her much-anticipated school year online in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Courtesy of Cornillia Sandoval, used with permission)

Returning to School in Indian Country during the Pandemic

Dressed in ceremonial regalia, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Northern Cheyenne), a veteran of the Korean War, stands with World War II veteran Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Native American veterans of the Vietnam War during the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall. September 21, 2004, Washington, D.C. (Mario Tama/ AFP for the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

A Native American Remembrance on Korean Armistice Day

People protest against the name of the Washington, D.C., NFL team before a game between Washington and the Minnesota Vikings. Minneapolis, November 2, 2014. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Ending the Use of Racist Mascots and Images

Normee Ekoomiak (Inuit, 1948–2009).

A Curator’s Fourth of July Message on the Long, Shared Work of Creating a Better America

Members of the Kiowa Gourd Clan Ceremony stand as the flag of Spencer “Corky” Sahmaunt is raised. Carnegie, Oklahoma; July 4, 2019. Mr. Sahmaunt served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a member of the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society, as well as the Kiowa Gourd Clan.The Kiowa Flag Song, analogous to the Star Spangled Banner, accompanied the flag-raising. (Photo courtesy of Mari Frances Sahmaunt, used with permission)

Do American Indians Celebrate the 4th of July?

Cegape or Strike the Kettle (Lakota, ca. 1841–?). Untitled painting, collected in 1893. North or South Dakota. 20/5176. Most large paintings of this kind focus on a single event, often a battle. This painting, made by a follower of Sitting Bull, shows warriors—figures on horseback carrying lances and shields—within the Lakota way of life. (National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

144 Years after the Battle of Little Bighorn, Lakota Values Endure

Adrian Stevens (Ute/Shoshone–Bannock/San Carlos Apache) and Sean Snyder (Dine/Ute), a couple who regularly participate in powwows. (Courtesy of Adrian Stevens, used with permission)

Pride Month 2020: Perspectives on LGBTQ Native Americans in Traditional Culture

Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox), with the inscription “To my little girl Grace From Dad Jim Thorpe 1951.” The photo, in the original folder frame, shows Thorpe during his career with the Canton Bulldogs football team, ca. 1915 to 1920. Grace Thorpe Collection, NMAI.AC.085 (pht_092_002). (National Museum of the American Indian Archives Center, Smithsonian)

Happy Birthday, Jim Thorpe! We're Celebrating by Making His Daughter's Archives More Accessible Online

Drum used by Native American soldiers during Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2007 and 2008. 27/167. The drum was also used in a Cheyenne Soldier Dance held for Cody Ayon (Southern Cheyenne) in 2010 when he returned to the United States. Mr. Ayon gave the drum to the museum in 2018. (National Museum of the American Indian)

Memorial Day in Indian Country

Gabrielle Lee (Kanaka Maoli), the first Native Hawaiian cultural interpreter on the staff of the National Museum of the American Indian, in a small section of the New York Botanical Garden that features plants native to Hawai‘i. (Courtesy of Gabbi Lee)

Aloha Opens the Door to Learning

Patricia Stone (Akimel O'otham) and Leonard Stone (Akimel O'otham) with their new baby, 1965. Gila River Indian Community, Arizona. (Helge Teiwes Collection, NMAI.AC.070)

How Do American Indians Celebrate Mother's Day?

Visitors look at a large, cut-paper work by Ian Kuali’i (Native Hawaiian and Mescalero Apache), on view at the Red Bull House of Art Detroit. Kuali’i was a resident artist at the experimental, noncommercial arts organization in 2016. (Red Bull, courtesy of Ian Kuali’i)

From aspiring breakdancer to accomplished artist, Ian Kuali’i traces his path so far

Ceramic olla purchased from Soledad Lala (Soboba Luiseño), Riverside, California, for the collections of the Museum of the American Indian, with a sketch by the collector, E. H. Davis. Olla: NMAI 7/1952. Drawing: Expedition Sketch Book, No. 2, November 1917. Edward H. Davis Papers, Huntington Free Library Collection 9166, Cornell University Library (National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian; sketch courtesy of the Cornell University Library)

Spotlight on Collections: Reuniting Objects and Expedition Field Notes

Chief Warrant Office Two Misty Dawn Lakota (Oglala Lakota) takes part in the White House Conference on Supporting Contemporary Native American Veterans. Washington, D.C., November 19, 2019. (White House photo by Andrea Hanks)

"I Chose to Serve Because of My Mother. I Wanted to Make Her Proud."—Chief Warrant Officer Two Misty Dawn Lakota

From a Dance Performance on the Residential School Experience to a Symposium Celebrating Native Women's Art, Women’s History Month Matters at the National Museum of the American Indian

Maria Marable-Bunch, associate director for museum learning and programs of the National Museum of the American Indian, in the exhibition

"All the Fun Action Happens in the Galleries and Learning Centers of a Museum"—Maria Marable-Bunch

Plains nations' pipes and pipe bags from the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian and the Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History. On view in the exhibition “Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations” at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. (Ernest Amoroso, Smithsonian)

2020 State of the Indian Nations Outlines Priorities to Advance Tribes' Nation-to-Nation Relationship with the United States

Coiled basket jar, ca. 1900, made by Mary Burkhead (Western Mono). Madera County, California. 16/5503. Through archival research, the museum now knows that a Western Mono woman named Mary Burkhead made this coiled basketry jar, information not listed on the catalog card. The research is part of a multiyear, multi-institutional project to recover information that was separated from, or perhaps never a part of, the museum's catalog records. (National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian. Note: Objects and catalog cards in these photo composites are not to scale.)

Spotlight on Collections: Expanding Both What We Know and What's Available Online

Thanksgiving, as the United States’ origin story, leaves out painful truths about the nation’s history. Giving thanks, however, has always been part of Native Americans’ everyday lives. Image: Earnest L. Spybuck (Absentee Shawnee, 1883–1949).

Do American Indians Celebrate Thanksgiving?

Alaska Magazine calls the Inuit drum-dance group Pamyua

From new music and dance fusions to traditional festivals, the museum's Native American Heritage Month is something special

Ian Kuali'i with some of his cut-paper art, June 2019. (Courtesy of the artist)

Time-lapse video of artist Ian Kuali'i working on a paper-cut portrait

Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee) at the opening of the exhibition

Fulfilling Her Promise: Museums Honor Native Rights Advocate Suzan Harjo

Command Sergeant Major Julia Kelly (U.S. Army retired), one of 80 Native American delegates to the 75th anniversary observance of D-Day, stands on Omaha Beach. Kelly holds an eagle feather staff, an American Indian symbol of respect, honor, and patriotism. (Courtesy of Julia Kelly)

On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, Native Americans Remember Veterans’ Service and Sacrifices

A design drawing shows the standing metal ring of the National Native American Veterans Memorial as it will be seen from the southeast corner of the National Mall, between the Capitol Building and the National Museum of the American Indian. (Design by Harvey Pratt/Butzer Architects and Urbanism, illustration by Skyline Ink, courtesy of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian)

New Drawings Show the National Native American Veterans Memorial Taking Its Place on the National Mall

Members of the Cherokee Youth National Choir taking part in the installation of the Treaty of New Echota at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/AP Images for the Smithsonian)

The Treaty That Forced the Cherokee People from Their Homelands Goes on View

Norma Baker–Flying Horse (third from left) with models wearing her Red Berry Woman designs. Paris Fashion Week, March 2019. (Ulla Couture Photography)

"A Lot of Our Traditional Clothing, We Had to Fight to Keep"—Fashion Designer Norma Baker–Flying Horse

Red dresses displayed along the river walk of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., represent the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls. Conceived by Canadian artist Jaime Black (Métis),

The REDress Project on the National Mall Draws Attention to Life and Death Situations in Indian Country

Niuam (Comanche) peyote fan, ca. 1890. Oklahoma. 22/9197 (Ernest Amoroso, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

Native Perspectives on the 40th Anniversary of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act

Alaska Army National Guard Col. Wayne Don, then 38th Troop Command commander, pledges the Oath of Office, administered by Alaska Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Joseph Streff, Alaska Army National Guard commander, after Don was promoted to full colonel. Dena'ina Center, Anchorage, July 14, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Bedard)

A Tradition of Service: Colonel Wayne Don

Haudenosaunee bear effigy pipe, 17th c. Cayuga Lake, New York. 22/3765 (Ernest Amoroso, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

"Words Spoken Before All Others," the Ohenten Kariwatekwen or Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

Petty Officer S. Joe Crittenden (U.S. Navy retired), deputy principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and a member of the advisory committee to the National Native American Veterans Memorial. (Photo by Jeremy Charles, courtesy of the Cherokee Nation)

A Tradition of Service: Navy Veteran S. Joe Crittenden, Deputy Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation

Ramey Growing Thunder (Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Tribes), Chief John Spotted Tail (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), Carolyn Brugh (Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Tribes), and Tamara Stands and Looks Back–Spotted Tail (Rosebud Sioux Tribe) take part in a ceremony at the National Museum of the American Indian honoring the Treaty of Fort Laramie. Ms. Growing Thunder holds a photograph of Medicine Bear (Yanktonai Band of Sioux), one of the Native leaders who signed the treaty 150 years ago. Delegations from the Yankton Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, and Northern Arapaho Tribe also traveled to Washington, D.C., for the installation of the treaty in the exhibition

The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, Never Honored by the United States, Goes on Public View

Designer, artist, activist, and organizer Jordan Cocker. (Tekpatl Kuauhtzin)

"To Indigenize the Western World"—Artist and Organizer Jordan Cocker

Delaware leaders prepare to unveil the Treaty of Fort Pitt, on view at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. From left to right: Denise Stonefish, chief of the Delaware Nation at Moraviantown; museum director Kevin Gover; Chester “Chet’ Brooks, chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians; and Deborah Dotson, president of the Delaware Nation. May 10, 2018, Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/AP Images for the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

A Brief Balance of Power—The 1778 Treaty with the Delaware Nation

Lyricist, musician, and dancer Christian Parrish Takes The Gun, aka Supaman. (Matika WIlbur)

"To Reach More, Serve More, Inspire More, and Just Live More"—Hip Hop Artist Supaman

Jazz performer and composer Delbert Anderson (Navajo). (Shutterfreek Photography)

"The Swing of the Navajo Heartbeat and the Improvisation of Navajo Chants"—Musician Delbert Anderson

The Honorable Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka speaking during the lei-draping ceremony to commemorate King Kamehameha Day. June 7, 2009, the U.S. Capitol Visitors’ Center Emancipation Hall, Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of the U.S. Senate)

"The Spirit of Aloha Means Nothing Unless We Share It"—Senator Daniel Akaka (1924–2018)

"Never Underestimate the Power of Your Mind"—Artist Caroline Monnet

Kevin Gover, director of the National Museum of the American Indian, and Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation representative and CEO of Oneida Indian Nation Enterprises, at the dedication of the new interpretive sound, light, and imagery around the sculpture “Allies in War, Partners in Peace.” (Katherine Fogden [Mohawk], National Museum of the American Indian)

New Sound-and-Light Installation Brings to Life the Oneida Nation's Aid to the American Revolution

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

The Winter Solstice Begins a Season of Storytelling and Ceremony

Captain Jefferson Keel (U.S. Army retired), Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. (Courtesy of Jefferson Keel)

A tradition of service: Captain Jefferson Keel

Specialist Allen Kale‘iolani Hoe (U.S. Army retired), the son and grandson of veterans and a Gold Star father, serves on the advisory committee of the National Native American Veterans Memorial. (Courtesy of Allen Hoe)

A tradition of service: Specialist Allen Kale‘iolani Hoe

On mid-tour leave from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sergeant First Class Chuck Boers carries in the eagle staff at the Shenandoah Powwow, 2004. (Courtesy of Chuck Boers)

A tradition of service: Master Sergeant and Lipan Apache War Chief Chuck Boers

John Richard Edwards (Onondaga) takes part in the installation of the mile-marker post from the Dakota Access Pipeline in the exhibition

Mile-marker from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests makes the point that U.S. treaty history is still being written

Members of a delegation from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians read names of the signers of the Treaty of Fort Wayne of 1809 as the museum prepares to place the treaty on exhibit. From left: Tribal Council Member Wayne (Alex) Wesaw, Council Chairman John P. Warren, Council Elders Representative Judy Winchester, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer; Jason S. Wesaw, and Council Vice Chairman Robert (Bob) Moody, Jr. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., September 2017. (Kevin Wolf/AP Images for National Museum of the American Indian)

The Treaty of Fort Wayne, 1809—a treaty that led to war—goes on exhibit

Ningiukulu Teevee, (Canadian [Cape Dorset], b. 1963),

Smithsonian in New York and the Embassy of Canada in Washington celebrate Arctic art

Niuam (Comanche) fan with sun and Morning Star designs (detail), ca. 1880. Oklahoma. 2/1617. (Credit: National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

American Indian beliefs about the eclipse

Visitors to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., viewing the Removal Act of 1830. Photo for the National Archives by Jessica Deibert

Thinking about the Indian Removal Act, at the National Archives Museum and National Museum of the American Indian

Poet and spoken word artist Autumn White Eyes. (Angel White Eyes for Red Cloud School)

Writing as Cathartic Practice and with Intention toward the Audience: Autumn White Eyes on Poetry

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