Collections (16 resources)

Stories Unbound

Stories Unbound

Article

Exhibition of Narrative Art Shows More than a Century of Native Life on the Plains.

The Divinity of Maize

The Divinity of Maize

Article

A pendant more than 1,000 years old immortalizes Mayan maize god Hun Hunahpu.

Hitting the Reset Button On Repatriation

Hitting the Reset Button On Repatriation

Article

Museums are taking a hard look at what they have on exhibition and in their collections.

Connecting Community and Collections

Connecting Community and Collections

Blog

To better serve communities and connect them virtually with their cultural belongings, NMAI staff created a dedicated space and refined the museum's methods for facilitation.

A Monumental Statement

A Monumental Statement

Article

A massive quilt created for and by survivors of violence makes a monumental statement.

Making Memories with Dolls

Making Memories with Dolls

Article

An NMAI fellow uses the senses to show how dolls can make and preserve memories.

Following Family Lines

Following Family Lines

Article

A Hopi pottery maker discovers her grandmother’s pot and inspiration in the NMAI’s Cultural Resources Center.

Ancestral Voices from the Archives

Ancestral Voices from the Archives

Article

A California Indigenous woman partners with a Smithsonian ethnologist to immortalize her Rumsen people’s stories.

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

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

Blog

More than 25 years ago, the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre in Nova Scotia and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian began a partnership that continues today.

Home to Mi’kma’ki: More than 500 Mi’kmaw Items in the NMAI Collection are Destined for a New Museum in Nova Scotia

Home to Mi’kma’ki: More than 500 Mi’kmaw Items in the NMAI Collection are Destined for a New Museum in Nova Scotia

Article

More than 500 Mi’kmaw items in the NMAI collection are destined for a new museum in Nova Scotia.

A Stitch in Time: Ensuring Thousands of Textiles are Conserved in Comfort

A Stitch in Time: Ensuring Thousands of Textiles are Conserved in Comfort

Article

NMAI’s Cultural Resources Center takes on a monumental endeavor to extend the life of thousands of textiles and make them feel more at home.

A View into Two Worlds

A View into Two Worlds

Article

Images in the Smithsonian archives of Zitkala-Ša show how this accomplished Yankton Sioux writer, violinist, composer and advocate for Indigenous rights and women’s suffrage lived in two very different cultures.

Ties That Bind

Ties That Bind

Article

A cradleboard reconnects Walter Lamar with his Wichita great-grandmother.

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

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

Blog

Although current views may point to “political correctness” for changes in language and terminology, this is not something new.

Honoring the American Flag through Native Art

Honoring the American Flag through Native Art

Video

Emil Her Many Horses (Oglala Lakota), museum curator and historian, highlights objects in the museum's collection that were created to honor the American flag.

Last Look: Echenique Disk Returned to Peru

Last Look: Echenique Disk Returned to Peru

Article

NMAI returns the “Echenique Disc” to Peru.