National Museum of the American Indian

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Meet Montana’s Teacher of the Year: Kevin KickingWoman

It is very rare for an American Indian who has deep roots in his culture, to receive teaching recognition in formal education. Here is his story.

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The Long Path Toward Establishing Indigenous People's Day, a Day to Honor and Recognize the First Peoples of America

Native American Indians are committed to making Indigenous Peoples Day a national holiday in 2024.

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The Quapaw Treaty Was Honored for Only Six Years Before the United States Broke It

The document signed in 1818 serves as a reminder of the unfairness of the federal government's approach to negotiating with Native communities

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How to Play Snow Snake, the Traditional Winter Game of the Haudenosaunee

This age-old game uses the techniques of skill and strength to propel a wooden pole down a long snow track

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How Christmas Is Celebrated Across Indian Country

A unique look at how Native people spend their winter holiday season

The quilted work Tears of Our Children, Tears for Our Children created by Susan Hudson (Diné/Navajo) depicts the effects of assimilation and boarding schools on the lives of Diné/Navajo children and adults.

Healing Soul Wounds: Grappling with the Indian Boarding School Era

During history major Maddie Henderson's internship at the National Museum of the American Indian, she sought to learn more about the Indian boarding school era and how forced assimilation has affected the dissemination of cultural practices generations later, including within her own family.

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What the 1865 Cheyenne Arapaho Treaty Represents About the United States' Broken Promises to Native Americans

The important document is now on view at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

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Festivals Officially Return to the National Museum of the American Indian Starting with the Cherokee Festival

After a hiatus due to the Covid crisis, in-person events are now scheduled for the museums in New York and Washington D.C.

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A Return to the Wounded Knee Occupation, 50 Years Later

The new era of social consciousness and racial activism in the 1970s would play a pivotal role in the events leading up to the 71-day occupation

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How Shared Stewardship Is Bringing to Light One of the World’s Most Significant Holdings of Mi’kmaw Cultural Items

How do two institutions work in partnership across borders and time zones to care for cultural items? More than 25 years ago, the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre (MDCC) in Nova Scotia and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian began a partnership that continues today.

Michigan Anishinaabe women April Lindala, Linda Batiste-Cohen and Michelle Reed

Christmas Across Native America

Celebrations, memorials, and gatherings during the winter holiday season

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Indigenous Mestiza Researcher Features Indigenous Stories from Latin America and the Caribbean

Cynthia Vidaurri, folklorist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, travels the world conveying the stories of Indigenous peoples. In her recent American Indian Magazine article, “Mexico’s Legendary Xoloitzcuintli, the Hairless Dog,” Vidaurri highlights one of the first known dog breeds domesticated in the Americas by Indigenous people.

Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective

How do Native Americans make peace with a national holiday that romanticizes the 1621 encounter between their ancestors and English settlers, and erases the deadly conflicts that followed?

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Five Ideas for Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2022

From reading Indigenous authors to exploring Native plants, these activities suit everyone in the family

Bison on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana

The Return of a National Icon

Bison, commonly referred to by Native people as “buffalo,” were once on the brink of extinction. Discover how the revival of the bison became one of the United States' great conservation success stories.

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A Retro Look in the Archives Reveals Past Views on Language Derogatory to Native Americans

Although current views may point to “political correctness” for changes in language and terminology, by looking back through historical documents, it’s quite clear that this is not something new.

Louie and Emmalani Longenecker

The Christmas Season in Indian Country

Celebrations, memorials, and gatherings during the winter holiday season

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

Between Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage and Month, November is go-time for teaching and learning about Native America. Here, parent and museum educator Renée Gokey shares simple ways to make the responsibility less daunting. In addition to briefly describing strategies for learners K–12, Renée links to teaching resources from the museum and other organizations. And she notes that students can use Thanksgiving and their new tools for thinking about culture to learn and share more about their own family’s history and traditions.

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