Welcome to a Native Place

Transcription

1 Welcome to a Native Place School Program Guide

2 1 Search, Learn, Discover Collections Database 2 5 Things to See 6 7 Special Programs for Students 8 9 Planning Your Visit to the Mall Museum Scheduling Your Visit Guided-Tour Offerings Self-Guided Tours Group Registration Form All photos by NMAI photo services staff, except where noted. Smithsonian Institution. FRONT COVER: Corn plants and southeast facade of the Smithsonian s National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall.

3 Search, Learn, Discover! Search the collections online! The National Museum of the American Indian has launched a searchable online collections database. You can search the collection, discover highlights, and explore featured objects. Use this tool to add exciting new resources to your teaching about American Indians. The database includes a representative sample of NMAI s object and historical photo collections. Each item is accompanied by basic information about the object, including its age, where it comes from, and what it s made of. Search by cultures, places, or object types there are lots of great applications to classroom learning! The database home page is accessible from the museum s website at Images from the website may be used free of charge for educational purposes when only a single copy will be reproduced. However, we ask that you provide the following credit line: Courtesy, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution [image catalog number]. Explore the new NMAI online collections database. Inupiaq carving of seals basking on a rock, ca National Museum of the American Indian 1

4 Things to See New Exhibitions Up Where We Belong Native Musicians in Popular Culture July 1, 2010 January 2, 2011 This banner exhibition highlights Native people who have actively participated in contemporary music for nearly a century. Musicians such as Russell Big Chief Moore (Gila River Indian Community), Rita Coolidge (Cherokee), Buffy Sainte-Marie (Cree), and the rock group Redbone are some of the Native performing artists who have had successful careers in popular music, from jazz and blues to folk, country, and rock. Their stories are told in this exhibition. Visitors can hear samples of music greats, find out who they collaborated with and were inspired by, and learn about other contemporary artists they have influenced. 2nd Level Jimi Hendrix s patchwork leather coat. On loan from Janie Hendrix, President/CEO, Experience Hendrix, LLC. American Indians/American Presidents A History January 14 April 30, 2011 This exhibition looks at the relationships between Native American leaders and American presidents from the founding of the U.S. to the present. It explores the leadership styles and often conflicting philosophies of eight Indian leaders and eight presidents. The exhibition compares their backgrounds, aims, aspirations, strategies, and interactions, and trains a spotlight on a dynamic, though little-known, 2 School Program Guide

5 diplomatic relationship that has embodied and often stymied tribal sovereignty for more than two centuries. Based on NMAI s 2009 publication American Indians/American Presidents: A History, this exhibition uses personal profiles to recount the long and often unstable relationship between these leaders of nations and to present Native leaders as thinking individuals who, like the presidents, each responded strategically to the challenges facing their people and their nations. Exhibition companion book. Published by the National Museum of the American Indian in association with HarperCollins Publishers, Please note: The exhibition title, American Indians/American Presidents: A History, is tentative at press time. Please check our website before visiting. 2nd Level Vantage Point The Contemporary Native Art Collection September 25, 2010 August 7, 2011 Vantage Point highlights the National Museum of the American Indian s young but vital collection of contemporary art, with significant works by 25 artists in media ranging from paintings, drawings, and photography to video projection and mixed-media installation. These complex and richly layered works speak to the concerns and experiences of Native people today, addressing memory, history, the significance of place for Native communities, and the continuing relevance of cultural traditions. The artists featured include Marie Watt (Seneca), James Lavadour (Walla Walla), Alan Michelson (Mohawk), and Truman Lowe (Ho-Chunk). 3rd Level In the Garden (Corn, Beans, and Squash), Marie Watt (Seneca), National Museum of the American Indian 3

6 Things What is to there See to see? New Ongoing Exhibitions Outdoor Sculpture Always Becoming A family of five clay sculptures hand-crafted by artist Nora Naranjo-Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo) greets visitors to the museum. Watch video podcasts about Always Becoming at Return to a Native Place Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake This exhibit introduces visitors to the Native peoples of the mid-atlantic region through photographs, maps, ceremonial and everyday objects, and interactive computer stations. Visitors will learn about the history and events from the 1600s to the present that affected the lives of the Nanticoke, Powhatan, and Piscataway people who continue to live in the region. Great resource for addressing regional social studies standards! And check out our new school tour The Great Shellfish Bay on page 11. 2nd Level Window on Collections Many Hands, Many Voices These displays celebrate the remarkable breadth and diversity of objects in the collection. Nearly 3,000 objects are presented by theme, including animals, projectile points, peace medals, and beadwork. 3rd and 4th Levels 4 School Program Guide Six Nations Mohawk beaded purse, ca

7 Lelawi Theater Who We Are This circular theater offers a dazzling multimedia experience that helps prepare visitors for the themes and messages they ll encounter in the museum. The 13-minute film is a great place to start a self-guided visit. 4th Level Our permanent exhibitions were developed in consultation with Native communities throughout the Americas. Each of the three exhibitions includes eight communities who share their philosophies, reflect on their tribal histories, and contribute their life stories in unique community-curated areas. Our Universes Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World This gallery focuses on Native cosmology the worldviews and philosophies about the creation and order of the universe and the spiritual relationship between humans and the natural world. 4th Level Our Peoples Giving Voice to Our Histories This exhibition explores events since 1491 that have shaped the lives and perspectives of Native peoples. In Our Peoples, Native Americans tell their own stories, and in this way, present new perspectives and insights into history. 4th Level Our Lives Contemporary Life and Identities This gallery examines the identities of Native peoples in the 21st century and shows how those identities, both individual and communal, are shaped by deliberate choices made in challenging circumstances. 3rd Level National Museum of the American Indian 5

8 Special Programs for Students Before you visit the museum, check our website to see what other special programs might be going on. We regularly update offerings for drop-in visitors! Celebrate American Indian Heritage Month! Native Dance Native Pride Dancers Friday, November 5 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Authentic regalia, rhythmic drumming, skilled footwork experience the excitement of a Native American powwow! World champion Fancy Dancer Larry Yazzie of the Meskwaki Nation and the Native Pride Dancers reveal the beauty, athleticism, and majesty of the Fancy Dance, featuring freestyle movement with focused energy, dance regalia, and traditional songs from the Northern Plains. Enhanced by indigenous vocal and flute accompaniment, other dances such as the Buffalo, Eagle, and Round Dances celebrate animals, crops, the sun, and the wind. For more information, see Recommended for all ages. Presented in partnership with Discovery Theater and the Smithsonian Associates. Reservations required. To purchase tickets, call or visit Hands-On Activities Wednesdays 1:00 3:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 3:00 p.m. Various locations in the museum Have you ever wondered how Native American artists make many of the Young girl making a star quilt pattern during a Hands-On Activity program. 6 School Program Guide

9 Teachers! Smithsonian Teachers Night will be held on Friday, October 22, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the National Museum of American History. It s free and open to educators of all subjects and grades. Register at and stop by the NMAI table for free posters and other educational resources for your classroom! Fancy Dancer Larry Yazzie (Meskwaki Nation) from the Native Pride Dancers. beautiful objects on display in the museum? Through our hands-on activities, students can learn about Native beading, weaving, pottery, and even children s games. Extend your field trip and join us for hands-on activities on Wednesday afternoons, or encourage your students to come back on the weekend with their own families. Activities change weekly, so check our website for the most current information: First come, first served. Stay updated about workshops and special offerings for educators that will take place at NMAI this year by regularly visiting the Teacher Programs page at Or, if you d like to join our list to get announcements throughout the school year, please send us your contact information at NMAI-Education@si.edu National Museum of the American Indian 7

10 Planning Your Visit to the Mall Museum General Information Museum Location The National Museum of the American Indian is located on the National Mall at 4th Street and Independence Avenue, S.W., in Washington, D.C. The school group entrance is on Maryland Avenue near 4th Street. Hours and Admission The museum is open every day, except December 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but reserved group entry is highly recommended for groups of ten or more. School groups with a reservation will receive a confirmation letter, ensuring prompt entrance to the museum. We cannot guarantee immediate entry for groups with no reservation. Chaperones All school groups must be chaperoned. We require that each teacher assign one adult for every ten students for grades three and up. Pre-K through second grade requires one adult for every five students. Chaperones are asked to supervise and remain with their groups at all times and in all locations, including the museum shops. NMAI reserves the right to cancel programs for groups that are inadequately supervised and to ask unsupervised groups to leave the building. Changes and Cancellations All tours and other programs begin on time. Due to strict scheduling guidelines, groups with a scheduled tour that arrive more than 15 minutes late may receive abbreviated tours. If you must change or The Beaver and the Mink, Susan A. Point (Coast Salish), cancel a scheduled tour or program, please notify the Reservations Office as soon as possible by calling or Nearby Metro Station The closest Metro stop is L Enfant Plaza, served by the Blue, Orange, Green, and Yellow lines. Exit from the upper platform, follow the signs directing you to the Smithsonian museums, and walk two blocks east on Maryland Avenue. For more information, contact Metro at or go to the Metro website at Bus Drop-Off and Parking Locations NMAI allows bus drop-offs on Maryland Avenue only. All school groups enter the 8 School Program Guide

11 search as you enter the museum. To speed your entrance, please leave bags and lunches on buses or at school. Pocketknives, scissors, and other sharp implements are not permitted in the museum. Group Entrance Procedures All school groups must use NMAI s south entrance on the Independence Avenue side of the building. Upon arrival, groups will be asked to present their confirmation letter. Group size must be in accordance with the number of people specified in the confirmation letter. building through the Maryland Avenue entrance. Metered public parking is available on nearby streets and a paid parking garage is located at 500 C Street, SW. For more information, call Accessibility NMAI is fully accessible. All tours and programs can be adapted to accommodate people with special needs. If you would like to arrange a tour for a special-needs group, please contact the Reservations Office at (TTY ) at least four weeks in advance. Security Procedures Due to heightened security on the National Mall, all bags are subject to Lunch/Mitsitam Cafe Food may not be consumed in or brought into the museum and lunch storage is not available. Groups are strongly encouraged to keep lunches on their buses and to picnic on the National Mall. The Mitsitam Cafe (Mitsitam means Let s eat! in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples) offers Native foods found throughout the Western Hemisphere, including the Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Mesoamerica, and the Great Plains. Each food station features cooking techniques, ingredients, and flavors found in both traditional and contemporary dishes. For information about group rates, contact or groupsales@si.edu. Photography Hand-held, video, and flash photography are permitted in the museum unless restrictions otherwise are posted. Tripods are not permitted without prior permission. National Museum of the American Indian 9

12 What Scheduling is there Your to see? Visit New Exhibitions Students on a school tour. All groups are strongly encouraged to reserve entry to the museum, even if you do not want a guided tour. Teachers can reserve group entry and guided school tours by faxing or mailing the registration form on page 13. You will receive a confirmation letter before your visit. Please bring this confirmation letter with you to the museum. Pre-visit teacher resources are available as PDF files on the Print Resources page at and will be sent to you with your confirmation letter. Please call or the Reservations Office with scheduling questions: or TTY (non-voice): NMAI-GroupReservations@si.edu Guided Tours for Pre-Registered School Groups Guided school tours introduce students to the museum s collections and discuss topics relevant to the curriculum. All tours include hands-on interaction and are led by a Cultural Interpreter who brings a Native voice and first-person perspective to your students educational experience. Tours begin at 10:00 or 11:15 a.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. The museum can accommodate up to 60 students per time slot. Tours are offered Tuesday through Friday, September through May. 10 School Program Guide

13 School tours and programs offered September 2010 through May 2011: K 3 Following Old Ways Making New Traditions Walk under a star canopy, listen to a story, and discover links between the past and present. What are some of the games American Indian children play today? How do traditional clothing styles compare with modern dress? Explore some ways that Native American people keep old traditions alive and develop new ones. K 3 Hok-noth-da? Story Program Everyone tells stories, and stories have always been a great way to teach children. Hok-noth-da? (which means Did you hear? in the Shawnee language) gives young students a chance to hear a story about a particular tribe and engage hands-on with objects and photographs that deepen their understanding of the tribe represented in the story. 2 6 NEW TOUR! The Great Shellfish Bay: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region The Chesapeake region has been inhabited by Native people for thousands of years. Native people have built their lives around local waterways and the abundance of plants and animals found here. Explore a wetland, touch objects made of cattails, and learn how local tribes, in both the past and present, have cultivated meaningful relationships with their surrounding environments. Recommended for grades 2 6. Meets DC/VA/MD curriculum standards. 4 6 Cultural Expressions There are many different ways a culture is revealed, including song, food, stories, dance, clothing, and art. Look at Native objects to learn the stories they tell, and listen to Cultural Interpreters explain how Native people continue to express their cultures today. 4 6 Continuing Cultural Values Changing Circumstances Traditional practices, homelands, and languages are very important to Native American people. Examine the ways some Native communities have responded to the historical pressures of contact with other cultures. How have differing cultural values, the introduction of new materials, and forced removal had an impact on Native people? How do contemporary communities maintain their values and practice their traditions today? 7 12 Challenge and Contemporary Identity Native peoples have struggled for survival since their first contact with Europeans. Find out how Native cultures have persisted despite the colonization of their homelands. Investigate peace medals, examine treaties between the United States and Indian nations, and explore how international borders continue to affect Native Americans throughout the hemisphere. See modern examples of how Native communities continue to define their places in the world and reflect their unique cultures and identities. National Museum of the American Indian 11

14 Educational Resources Self-Guided Tours School groups are welcome to tour the museum on their own, although we strongly encourage you to reserve an entry time to the museum. Teachers can schedule these visits using the registration form or phone numbers on page 13. When you register your group, you will receive copies of the Teacher Self-Guide in the mail with your confirmation letter. Teacher Self-Guides will make your students visit to the museum more focused and engaging. By providing questions Easy, Harder, and Think for group leaders to ask, self-guides help students look at exhibitions in creative ways. Students may be asked to watch video clips in the gallery, read text panels, or examine objects closely to find answers to their questions. Two self-guides are currently available Community (grades 6-8) and Stories (grades 4-6). Self-guides are available as PDF Files or can be ordered on the museum s website. grade levels: 4-6 Teacher Self-Guide: Use this self-guide to learn more about the role of stories in American Indian cultures! Stories grade levels: 6-8 Teacher Self-Guide: Community Use this self-guide to learn more about the role of community in American Indian cultures! Our Resource Center is changing! Our Resource Center is an interactive reference library offering books, periodicals, audio CDs, DVDs and videos, and online databases and bibliographies through which students and teachers can learn more about the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. In January 2011, the Resource Center will close for renovation, re-opening later that year as a dynamic new Activity Center, a hands-on space designed for families and school groups. Check our website during spring and summer 2011 for more details. 12 School Program Guide

15 Registration Form DC Mall Museum Due to the large number of groups entering the museum, all groups of ten or more are strongly encouraged to register for timed entrance. Your confirmation letter (necessary for entrance) will reflect the total number you have indicated on this sheet. Please fill out the form below to request entrance to the National Museum of the Request for Guided School Tour American Indian. Please send us the Yes, we want a guided tour. completed form by mail or fax. No, we do not require a guided tour. Mail To: Reservations, Office of Education National Museum of the American Indian 4th St. and Independence Avenue, SW MRC 590 PO Box Washington, DC Fax To: Thematic tours for school groups (K 12) are available by reservation Tuesday through Friday at 10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. (September through May). We will do our best to accommodate all requests. If you must cancel or change your reservation, please contact the Reservations Office as soon as possible at or Teacher/Group Leader: Ms. Mr. Mrs. address Telephone (Day) EVENING Fax School/Group Name School Mailing ADDRESS City STATE Zip School District/County Preferred date of visit Entrance time Number in GROUP GRADE Subject Number of Chaperones *Grades 3 12: One adult for every ten students. *Pre-K 2nd grade: One adult for every five students. Are there particular needs for your group? This form is also available online at

16 PO Box MRC 590 Washington DC Teachers! We have resources for your classroom! Visit our website at to find lots of great materials for your classroom, including teaching posters and lessons. You can download them immediately or use the order form to request free printed copies in the mail. FIRST CLASS MAIL POSTAGE AND FEES P A I D SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION G-94