Full Description
The first American national museum designed and run by indigenous peoples, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC opened in 2004. It represents both the United States as a singular nation and the myriad indigenous nations within its borders. Constructed with materials closely connected to Native communities across the continent, the museum contains more than 800,000 objects and three permanent galleries and routinely holds workshops and seminar series.
This first comprehensive look at the National Museum of the American Indian encompasses a variety of perspectives, including those of Natives and non-Natives, museum employees, and outside scholars across disciplines such as cultural studies and criticism, art history, history, museum studies, anthropology, ethnic studies, and Native American studies. The contributors engage in critical dialogues about key aspects of the museum's origin, exhibits, significance, and the relationship between Native Americans and other related museums.
Contents
List of Figures Acknowledgements Dedication Introduction The National Museum of the American Indian: Critical Conversations By Amy Lonetree and Amanda J. Cobb Conversation One: History and Development 1. A New Thing?: The NMAI in Historical and Institutional Context By Ira Jacknis 2. Decolonizing the Nation's Attic: The NMAI and the Politics of Knowledge-Making in a National Space By Patricia Pierce Erikson 3. Concourse and Periphery: Planning the NMAI By Judith Ostrowitz Conversation Two: Indigenous Methodology and Community Collaboration 4. Critical Reflections on the Our Peoples Exhibit: A Curator's Perspective By Paul Chaat Smith 5. Collaborative Exhibit Development at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian By Cynthia Chavez 6. The Making of 'Who We Are' Now Playing at the NMAI Lelawi Theater By Beverly Singer Conversation Three: Interpretations and Response 7. Gym Shoes, Maps, and Passports, Oh My!: Creating Community or Creating Chaos at the NMAI? By Elizabeth Archuleta 8. "Indian Country" on the National Mall: The Mainstream Press vs. the NMAI By Janet Berlo and Aldona Jonaitis 9. What Are Our Expectations Telling Us?: Encounters with the NMAI By Gwyneira Isaac 10. No Sense of the Struggle: Creating a Context for Survivance at the NMAI By Sonya Atalay 11. (Un)disturbing Exhibitions: Indigenous Historical Memory at the NMAI By Myla Vicenti Carpio 12. "Acknowledging the Truth of History": Missed Opportunities at the NMAI By Amy Lonetree Conversation Four: Questions of Nation and Identity 13. The NMAI as Cultural Sovereignty By Amanda J. Cobb 14. Performing Reconciliation at the NMAI: Postcolonial Rapprochement and the Politics of Historical Closure By Pauline Wakeham 15. "South of the Border" at the NMAI By Robin Maria Delugan 16. Disrupting Past Paradigms: The NMAI and the Canadian Museum of Civilization By Ruth B. Phillips 17. The NMAI and the Siting of Identity By Mario Caro Contributor Biographies
