State-of-the-Art at NMAI

by Greg Olson

My expectations were high when I arrived in Washington in mid-November to visit the new National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). For years I had been hearing about the museum’s long planning process—one that began more than a decade ago and which included consultations with hundreds of representatives of Indian tribes from both North and South America. I had heard NAMI Curator George Horse Capture and Director Rick West talk about the museum’s importance as a place where native people would be able to interpret their own history. And I had read the mixed reviews after the museum’s opening in September. In my twenty years as a museum professional, I cannot remember another museum that had provoked such a large national dialogue about what museums are and what they should become.

NAMI works hard to create a special place for the stories of native people. You can tell that the moment you first see it. Its gentle biomorphic form, rough golden stone exterior, and natural landscaping are all devised to set it apart from the white marble geometry that dominates most of the other museums on the national mall. Inside the building, you immediately notice symbolism everywhere, from main entrance that faces east to the natural finish of the building materials. A large electronic screen greets visitors in hundreds of indigenous languages and on clear days sunlight shines through a prism on the south wall to spread a rainbow on the floor and walls of the circular lobby.

But for me, it is the exhibits themselves that sets NAMI apart from most museums. I first noticed the difference in the Our Universe exhibit on the fourth floor. The large exhibit includes eight smaller displays, each dealing with a specific American Indian tribe. Instead of being organized around a timeline, these small tribal exhibits are often organized around cultural concepts such as the four cardinal directions, the four sacred elements or around tribal creation stories. This structure helped give me a glimpse into the fundamental elements of each tribe’s society.

The anonymously authoritative exhibit text found in most museums is replaced at NAMI with text that is attributed to specific individuals. Quotes may come from tribal elders, Smithsonian curators, or historical figures. Knowing who provided the information I was reading and when it was recorded, reminded me that big stories are made up of small parts that come from various sources.

Every small exhibit was curated by a team of representatives from the tribe it depicted. Near the entrance to each of these exhibits was a panel that featured pictures and short biographies of these tribal curators. Not only does the inclusion of this information reinforce the idea that the tribes had shaped their own exhibits, it serves to remind us that native people are not historical artifacts, they are living people with vibrant lives and cultures.

One of my favorite displays in the entire museum is part of the Our Peoples exhibit. It is a wall featuring about 20 portraits of Indians by the white 19th century artist George Catlin. Video screens placed among the Catlin portraits show the face of a man—interestingly this man is not identified—who recounts for us how non-native people have controlled images of indigenous people for centuries. He invites visitors to witness how native people portray themselves in the museum. “Hear these stories,” the man instructs us “respect these stories, but question them too.” Like all museums, NAMI has a point of view. But unlike most museums, NAMI admits as much. In doing so, the museum not only presents a place for native stories, it offers us a place for an open public dialogue about race, culture, and history. For me, that is the real success of this museum.

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