Did you know that, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States? And there are more tribes that aren’t federally recognized. With the numerous tribes and varied cultural practices, no one museum can cover the entirety of the Native American experience or will be universally praised by historians or Indigenous people, but a number of Native American history museums across the United States offer exhibits, programs and events that center Indigenous voices. Some are small museums that detail the history of an individual tribe while others are larger and depict multiple tribes or span a larger time frame. This article focuses on some of the bigger museums and aims to not only help you choose places where you can learn about the past and people who lived in the Americas prior to European colonization but also celebrate contemporary Indigenous leaders, artists and creators.
Keep scrolling to learn about Native American history museums, the events they host and where you can learn about some of the many tribal nations, both past and present, within the U.S.
1. First Americans Museum
Location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Due to the 1830 Indian Removal Act, tribal nations from all over the United States were removed from their traditional lands and relocated to what became the state of Oklahoma. Now 39 nations are located within Oklahoma, and the First Americans Museum celebrates the cultures, people and histories of those nations.
Exhibits detail the histories of Indigenous peoples, and each gallery features interactive and multimedia elements to engage both adults and children. You can also hear audio of traditional songs as well as the many languages of the diverse cultures in Oklahoma.
The museum also hosts annual events, including celebrations at the winter and summer solstices as well as Indigenous Peoples Day. They also host the Indigenous Pop Culture Expo, which showcases how native peoples continue to influence pop culture by featuring Indigenous writers, actors and comic book artists.
Accessibility: The galleries are wheelchair accessible, and some wheelchairs and motorized scooters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have questions about accessibility or accommodation call (405) 594-2100.
2. Heard Museum
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
The Heard Museum works with tribal communities and native artists to display historical and contemporary art, clothing and other culturally significant items to tell the stories and histories of native peoples, often from a first-person point of view. If available take a docent-led tour at the museum to enhance the experience; guided tours are included in the admission price.
The Heard Museum is also popular for its annual events. Every March, the museum hosts the annual Indian Fair and Market featuring more than 600 artisans selling their art and goods.
In February, the World Championship Hoop Dance Competition attracts hoop dancers from many tribes. Dancers combine traditional dance steps and hoops with modern steps and is an example of how Indigenous cultures have continued to hold onto tradition while growing and changing in the face of adversities that include forced relocation, broken treaties and Indian boarding schools.
Accessibility: The museum is wheelchair accessible, and some wheelchairs are available upon admission to the museum on a first-come, first-served basis. Borrowed wheelchairs are only permitted inside the museum and may not be taken onto museum grounds.
3. Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center
Location: Mashantucket, Connecticut
Members of the Pequot Tribe worked hard to keep their reservation land in Connecticut, and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum tells the history of Pequot Tribe. Exhibits range from the Ice Age through the 21st century and detail what Pequot life was like pre- and post-European arrival as well as The Pequot War in 1967 and reservation life for the Pequot people.
The exhibit Arrival of the People tells the Pequot creation story, while the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Today & A Tribal Portrait Gallery features information on the tribe today and showcases photographs of contemporary tribal members.
Accessibility: The museum has assisted navigation using infrared technology and audio descriptions of exhibits to assist people with blindness or low visibility.
4. The Museum of the Cherokee People
Location: Cherokee, North Carolina
The Museum of the Cherokee People (formerly The Museum of the Cherokee Indian) endeavors to tell 13,000 years of Cherokee history from the Paleolithic Era to modern times. They display clothing, tools, pottery and art, and the exhibits use computer-generated animation and interactive elements to keep visitors engaged. Topics covered at the museum include life prior to European contact, how the Cherokee people fought to stay on their land, the tragic 1838 to 1839 Trail of Tears, boarding schools and more.
Accessibility: Per the museum, all galleries are wheelchair accessible.
5. National Museum of the American Indian
Location: Washington, D.C.
The National Museum of the American Indian is a Smithsonian Institution and is located on the National Mall, a block from the National Air and Space Museum. The museum houses both permanent and temporary exhibits that explore the histories of Indigenous peoples and how that affects the way contemporary Native Americans are perceived today.
At the museum, you can learn about treaties between native nations and the U.S. government and how those treaties concluded with the seizure and forced relocations that resulted in tragedies such as the Trail of Tears. In the Americans exhibit, see how native peoples have been portrayed, often as caricatures and stereotypes, which have informed the way native peoples are perceived to this day. And the museum itself is not without controversy — when the museum opened, critics called out the museum for failing to provide enough historical context, and the Smithsonian Institution has been accused of failing to return human remains and funerary objects, although its website addresses repatriation and other resources for families, tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations.
If you'd like to take a gallery tour, check the museum's calendar for tour days and times. Also, plan to eat at the on-site café, Mitsitam Cafe, which features cuisine using native ingredients and flavors.
Accessibility: Per The Smithsonian, the museum is wheelchair accessible and has wheelchairs available for use on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, The Smithsonian provides free access to an Aira agent who can provide oral descriptions of museum displays and exhibits via the Aira Access mobile app for people with blindness or low vision.
6. National Museum of the American Indian, NY Branch
Location: New York, New York
The New York branch of the National Museum of the American Indian is housed in the Alexander Hamilton Custom House. The location offers a contrast between the art created for the building, by painter Reginald Marsh and sculptor Daniel Chester French, and the seemingly countless objects made by native peoples across the Americas from pre-European contact to the present day.
The museum hosts a mix of permanent and temporary exhibits that portray the varied cultures and vast number of tribes that once lived in the Americas and the many contributions made in contemporary society. The exhibit Native New York explores 12 locations spanning New York state giving the history of the Indigenous peoples who lived on the land prior to European colonization.
Accessibility: Per The Smithsonian, the ground entrance of the building and exhibits are wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you have questions or need to arrange other accessibility accommodations, contact the museum two weeks in advance at (212) 633-2921.
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