I chose to explore the
National Museum of the American Indian website, specifically the educational
section. I was drawn to this source because I have personally been to the
museum in Washington, D.C. I strongly suggest to anyone traveling in the
D.C. area to stop by and see what the museum has to offer. Even though I've been to museums all over the world, it remains
one of my favorite to this day. The NMAI is a part of the Smithsonian
Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. The NMAI website was also
created by the Smithsonian Institution. This website (and the Museum itself) is
meant to convey the historical significance of native culture in North and
South America.
The NMAI is one of, if not THE, largest collection of native artifacts,
photos, and archives in the entire world. They offer space for native
performances, as well as sponsoring high-level lectures on various aspects of
Native Culture. Their website allows interested parties access to over 8,000 of
the museums objects, as well as allowing people to take an “electronic field
trip” of the facility. In addition the website has an assortment of videos that
help to explain the various cultures, indigenous knowledge, and values of
native people across the western hemisphere.
The official mission
statement of the NMAI is “The National
Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is committed to advancing knowledge and
understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere—past, present,
and future—through partnership with Native people and others. The museum works
to support the continuance of culture, traditional values, and transitions in
contemporary Native life”[Smithsonian, 2016]. I believe that this web resource
was selected because it displays the multitude of different exhibits and
exhibitions that the museum puts on for the purpose of advancing awareness of
Native American culture. The NMAI is a popular choice among school trips to
Washington, D.C. where students are given tours of popular exhibits, get to
experience a wide array of different presentations on Native American culture,
and are even allowed to touch certain artifacts in order to get a better
understanding of the significance of native history. The NMAI is an ardent
supporter of native history and a pillar of success in the American public museum
system.
Source: http://nmai.si.edu/
Awesome info that you have shared with us. Whenever I get chance to go to D.C I will make sure to check this museum out. Not sure if you know, but there is a National Museum of the American Indian heere in NYC and it's really cool, very educational. If you're ever around you should also go check it out. It' has an ongoing exhibition called Infinity of Nations that hold about 700 works of Native art from throughout North, Central, and South America."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nmai.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item/?id=901
What a great resource! There certainly is a plethora of information that helps inform a more in-depth understanding of Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere. The Director, Kevin Grover point out that the Museum of The American Indian’s metaphysical foundation was established by Native thinkers, Native culture barriers, and Native artists, and this contributed to the authenticity of the museum and the information within.
ReplyDeleteIn reviewing the museum’s governance body, it was enlightening to see that both the board of trustees, and the board of directors are heavily represented by Native American people. This certainly explains the great level of authenticity throughout the website and available at the museum. We are fortunate to have access to the historical tradition, cultural values available on this site.
I found the exhibitions extremely interesting. In particular, Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist contained a number of very impressive Native American reflective works of art. There was also a lot of great information regarding treaties at the exhibit link; Nation to Nation; Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations. This information serves to better inform visitors on the link between treaties and their impact on the relations between Native American Indian Nations and the United States. This exhibit, Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations, helps us better understand these complex relationships, and to remember the history and legacy from the colonial period to present day treaties.
References:
Smithsonian. National Museum of The American Indian. 2016. Website accessed at www.nmai.si.edu.
I also talked about this website for my posting for a couple of reasons. First, I was drawn to it because the voice for my reflexive scholarly project is education. Also because my significant other homeschools our children and we are always looking for ways in which to enrich their education. Once viewing the site I was blown away by the options in which to gain education. You can actually visit the museum and explore Native American culture utilizing a multi-sensory hands on approach or you can play games and look at various online components of the website in order to learn Indian culture and history. Furthermore, children are not the only ones who benefit, educators can locate and attend various workshops.
ReplyDeleteWe will definitely be visiting the museum as a family sometime in the future!
I have been to D.C numerous time and have never stopped by this Museum. I will now! I couldn't help but wonder from your photo why the museum was designed in that fashion. Its a pleasing to the eye building, but I wonder why that represents the Native Americans? I will start looking into this! Thank you as I am heading to D.C. in a few weeks and I know where I am stopping this time!
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for sharing this information about the National Museum of the American Indian. I definitely will check it out the next time I find myself in the Washington D.C. area. And being that its part of the Smithsonian Institution, I know that it must be a great museum to check out. I’ve never been to a museum dedicated solely to Native Americans, and it would be interesting to see all of the artifacts and exhibits they have to offer!
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