These minorities have realized that if their past is to be preserved and told in a way that they favor, they cannot leave it to others (i.e. the majority) to do the telling. This article will look at the many museums supported or maintained by Native Americans in the communities in which they live.
There is not a museum in the United States or Canada that does not give at least a passing nod to Native Americans and their former way of life. Even the smallest museum seems to have a few Native American artifacts - a headdress, a pair of moccasins, some beaded work. If nothing else they all seem to have at least some photographs.
There is however, a growing number of Native groups who have chosen to preserve their heritage themselves - to tell their story their way. In the United States alone there are over one hundred and fifty tribal museums. Unfortunately most of these museums are not yet on line. Following is a discussion of some that are.
The Powhatan Renape Nation is located in New Jersey. It is the only Indian-owned museum in New Jersey. They have an Indian Heritage Museum with guided tours geared to the age of the participants. Open Tuesday and Thursday by appointment. Saturdays open from 10 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. http://www.powhatan.org/museum.html.
You may have heard of the Powhatan Renape Nation as the folks that have been giving Disney a hard time over Pocahantas. According to the tribe, the Disney version of this Powhatan woman's life is nowhere near the actual historical facts.
http://www.crazyhorse.org is the address for one of the most extraordinary native sites in the world. Some may argue that since this site, the Indian Museum of North America was overseen and managed by Korczak Ziolkowski, that it should not be included here. However it was at the behest of Chief Henry Standing Bear in 1940 that Korczak came to the Black Hills of South Dakota to build this huge monument to Native Americans.
The work was started in 1947. Korczak in the ensuing years acquired a wife who worked with him and shared the vision, and ten children. Today, the site ecompasses the huge carving of Crazy Horse, still in progress as well as the Native American Educational and Cultural Center and the museum. The museum has three halls with over 20,000 artifacts from dozens of tribes throughout North America. Nearly everything in the museum has been donated. In the future the museum will be moved to the base of the mountain, will be several stories high and shaped like a hogan.
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