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National Museum of the American Indian Review

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National Museum of the American Indian

Address: 4th St. and Independence Ave. SW, The Mall, Washington, DC | Map It
Phone: 202/633-1000
www.americanindian.si.edu

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: The Mall

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Fodor's Review:

The Smithsonian's newest museum opened in 2004 and is the first national museum devoted entirely to Native American artifacts, presented from a Native American perspective. The exterior, clad in limestone from Minnesota, evokes natural rock formations shaped by wind and water. Inside, four floors of galleries cover 10,000 years of history of the native tribes of the Western Hemisphere, with exhibitions of wood and stone carvings, headdresses, beadwork, textiles, paintings, baskets, pottery, and nearly a million other crafts and works of art from the Americas.

The spectacular "Wall of Gold" is made up of more than 400 intricate gold objects and works of art, which together tell a story of America since 1491, from the perspective of its indigenous tribes. On the wall are exquisite tribal masks and jewelry, mixed with European crucifixes and objects made from melted-down gold coins. It's among the most compelling elements of the permanent exhibit "Our Peoples: Giving Voices to Our Histories," which tells the history of this continent from the vantage point of its native inhabitants. The lives and choices of contemporary Native Americans are told in the exhibit "Our Lives: Contemporary Life and Identity," which details the challenges of Native Americans from the "Red Power" movement of the '60s to the present-day embrace of casino revenues.

Live music, dance, theater, and storytelling are central to experiencing this museum. Tribal groups stage performances in the two theaters and sunlit ceremonial atrium. "1,000 Roads," the museum's signature film about four lives of contemporary native people, shot in stunning landscapes from Alaska to the Andes, is shown daily in the museum's Elmer and Mary Louise Rasmuson Theater. The Mitsitam Native Foods Café serves a Native-inspired menu, ranging from pulled buffalo sandwiches and black bean or chicken tamale in corn husk to maple-roasted turkey, fire-roasted salmon, and other regional specialties.

Free timed-entrance passes, required for entry, are distributed beginning at 10 am from the museum's east entrance, but by midday, especially during winter months, you may find that you don't actually need one. You can also buy the passes in advance online for a fee. Free tours of the musuem's highlights leave from the entrance atrium weekdays at 1:30 and 3. On weekends and in summer there are also tours at 11, except on Monday. The Chesapeake Museum Store on the first level is the place to buy hand-crafted jewelry, textiles, and one-of-a-kind works by Native artisans. On the second level, the Roanoke Museum Store offers books, music, toys, and other souvenirs.

Cost: Free
Open: Daily 10-5:30
Metro: L'Enfant Plaza

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