The Smithsonian Institution celebrates American Indian Heritage month with more than forty events — films, performances, talks, tours and demonstrations.
| WASHINGTON D.C. | |
| Location: | Anacostia Community Museum |
| Title: | East of the River: Continuity and Change |
| Date: | Ongoing Exhibition , 10 am- 5 pm |
| Description: | On the occasion of the museum's fortieth anniversary, the exhibition takes a sweeping look at the history of communities east of the Anacostia River. The timeline covers the region's Native American beginnings. |
| Location: | National Museum of Natural History |
| Title: | Mexican Cycles: Festival Images by George O. Jackson de Llano |
| Date: | Ongoing Exhibition , 10 am - 5:30 pm |
| Description: | This traveling exhibition, organized by the Mexico-North Research Network, features 150 color photographs of the religious festivals of Indigenous communities across Mexico, taken between 1990 and 2001. Cosponsor: Smithsonian Latino Center |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Potomac Atrium |
| Title: | Museum Highlights Tours |
| Date: | Ongoing Exhibition , weekdays 1:30 and 3 pm, weekends 11 am, 1:30 pm, and 3 pm |
| Description: | The museum offers a daily tour, though the schedule is subject to change. For schedule confirmation, call 202.633.6985. |
| Location: | National Museum of Natural History |
| Title: | Emissaries of Peace: The 1762 Cherokee and British Delegations |
| Date: | Thursday, November 1 - Sunday, November 25 , 10 am-5:30 pm |
| Description: | This traveling exhibition from the Museum of the Cherokee Indian presents two subjective though vivid images: eighteenth-century Cherokee society as seen by a British lieutenant and diarist, Henry Timberlake, and British society seen through the eyes of three Cherokee leaders who traveled to London to meet with King George III. |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery |
| Title: | Daily Walk-In Tour at the Renwick Gallery |
| Date: | Thursday, November 1 - Friday, November 30 , 12 noon on weekdays, 1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays |
| Description: | Throughout American Indian Heritage Month, the daily docent-led tour features ceramics by Pueblo artist Julian Martinez and a look at the museum's Grand Salon, hung with more than two hundred paintings depicting Native Americans and their way of life. Meet at the Information Desk. No tour on November 12, 13, or 22. |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Donald W. Reynolds Center |
| Title: | Daily Walk-In Tour at the Smithsonian American Art Museum |
| Date: | Thursday, November 1 - Friday, November 30 , 12:30 and 2 pm |
| Description: | Throughout the month, the museum's daily tours feature works that illuminate Native American life. Meet in the F Street Lobby. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Thanksgiving Revisited: New Views by Young Filmmakers |
| Date: | Thursday, November 1 - Friday, November 30 , 12:30 and 3:30 pm |
| Description: | What are you thankful for? How do you express your appreciation? Thanksgiving Revisited is a showcase of two-minute films by young people who responded to the museum's call for films that illustrate what "giving thanks" means to Native Americans. Note: There will be no 3:30 pm screening on November 3. (2007, 12 minutes) |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Always Becoming Sculpture Project |
| Date: | Thursday, November 1 - Friday, November 30 , Daily except Wednesdays, 10:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 4:30 pm |
| Description: | Artist Nora Naranjo-Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo) discusses the process of creating an original sculpture for the National Museum of the American Indian. (2007, 17 minutes) |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | A Thousand Roads |
| Date: | Thursday, November 1 - Friday, November 30 , 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, except Wednesdays |
| Description: | This fictional film illustrates the complexity and vibrancy of contemporary Native life by following the lives of four Native people living in Alaska, New Mexico, Peru, and New York City. For ages 12 and up. (2005, 43 minutes) |
| Location: | National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium |
| Title: | Another Ghost of Courageous Adventurers: New Revelations on Paleoindian Lifestyles in Vermont |
| Date: | Friday, November 2 , 12 noon |
| Description: | Anthropology curator Stephen Loring opens a window onto the spirit world of ancient hunters and their descendants—a view based on archaeological work and discussions with contemporary Labrador Innu families. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Listening to the Earth: Winona LaDuke and the film Homeland |
| Date: | Sunday, November 4 , 3:30 pm |
| Description: | Activist, economist, and novelist Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) discusses her work with Native Americans throughout the country on the preservation of land, natural resources, and culture. Her talk is followed by a screening of Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action (2005, 88 minutes), which documents successful grassroots efforts in the face of such crises as toxic waste dumping, strip mining, oil drilling, and nuclear contamination. After the screening, LaDuke leads a roundtable discussion with guests Barry Dana, former chief of the Penobscot Nation of Maine, and Gail Small (Northern Cheyenne) of Montana, who are both featured in the film. At 6 pm, there is a reception and a signing of LaDuke's latest book, Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming. W. Richard West, Jr., founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian, delivers the event's opening remarks. This is the second feature event in the Smithsonian Heritage Month series "Sharing Stories, Sharing Heritage," which explores the intersection of culture and oral tradition among communities. Sponsors: National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian American Indian Employee Network, Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, Smithsonian Heritage Months Steering Committee, and the Katahdin Foundation |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery |
| Title: | Catlin's Quest Gallery Tour |
| Date: | Monday, November 5 , 12 noon |
| Description: | This docent-led gallery tour focuses on the paintings of George Catlin, who from 1830 to 1836 visited fifty Native American tribes living west of the Mississippi River. Catlin's unique record of Native American life is one of the prized collections of the museum. Meet at the Information Desk. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Screening Room |
| Title: | Thanksgiving Revisited and Gwishalaayt |
| Date: | Monday, November 5 - Sunday, November 25 , 1 and 3 pm, Thursdays at 5:30 pm |
| Description: | Thanksgiving Revisited: New Views by Young Filmmakers is a selection of short films, all on the subject of giving thanks. Gwishalaayt: The Spirit Wraps around You profiles six artists who continue the tradition of Chilkat weaving, helping to keep their culture and ceremonies intact. Recommended for all ages. (Thanksgiving Revisited, 2007, 12 minutes; Gwishalaayt, 2002, 47 minutes) |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Classroom |
| Title: | Haudenosaunee Teacher's Day |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 6 , 8:30-11:30 am and 12:30-3:30 pm |
| Description: | Perry Ground (Onondaga), director of the Native American Resource Center of the Rochester City School District, leads a morning and an afternoon session covering themes required in the New York State Education Standards. The workshop is aimed at teachers who introduce Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) culture in their classrooms. Included are in-depth tours of the Museum's Haudenosaunee Discovery Room throughout the day. To register, call 212.514.3704. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Meet the Museum: Connections with Steven Alvarez |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 6 - Wednesday, November 7 , 10:30 and 11:45 am |
| Description: | Alvarez (Mescalero Apache/Yaqui/Upper Tanana Athabascan) presents a mesmerizing show that includes music, stories, and large screen images that illustrate ancient traditions. The performance is followed by a gallery visit that brings the world of tribal ancestors to life. Recommended for ages 6–14. Tickets required. Call 202.633.8700. Cosponsor: Discovery Theater |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Native Performers' Showcase |
| Date: | Thursday, November 8, 12 noon |
| Description: | Part of the series "Classical Native," the program features percussionist Steven Alvarez (Mescalero Apache/Yaqui/Upper Tanana Athabascan), guitarist Gabriel Ayala (Yaqui), pianist Timothy Long (Muskogee-Creek/Choctaw), and flutists Vince Redhouse (Navajo) and Lisa Long (Muskogee-Creek/Choctaw). They will perform again at 6 pm at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | The Queen's Chamber Band |
| Date: | Thursday, November 8 , 7:30 pm |
| Description: | Led by Elaine Comparone, the world's only standing harpsichordist, this New York–based ensemble gives the first full performance of Pocahontas in the Court of James I by George Quincy (Choctaw). They also perform Trance Music by Dawn Avery (Mohawk). Tickets required. Call 202.633.3030 or visit www.residentassociates.org. Museum members receive a discount. Presented as part of the series "Classical Native" and "Native Expressions." Cosponsor: The Smithsonian Associates |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Stories from Coyote |
| Date: | Saturday, November 10 , 1 pm |
| Description: | Jeff Legacy (Cree) serves as narrator and members of the Contemporary Music Forum perform music by Barbara Croall (Odawa, Giniw dodem). Recommended for ages 5–10. Tickets required. Call 202.633.8700. Part of the museum's series "Classical Native." Cosponsor: Discovery Theater |
| Location: | National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium |
| Title: | Ten Thousand Years in the Upper Potomac River Valley: The Archaeology of the Barton Site |
| Date: | Friday, November 9 , 12 noon |
| Description: | Bob Wall of Towson University discusses his excavations at a site near Cumberland, Maryland. The work has revealed a sequence of human occupation of the Potomac headwaters from Paleoindian times to the early 1600s, when the Susquehannocks established a small settlement. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center |
| Title: | Storybook Reading |
| Date: | Saturday, November 10 , 12 noon |
| Description: | The day features stories about the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois): The Boy Who Lived with the Bears and Other Iroquois Stories by Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki), Turtle's Race with Beaver by Joseph and James Bruchac (Abenaki), and Giving Thanks by Chief Jake Swamp (Mohawk). A cornhusk-doll-making workshop follows the readings. Recommended for all ages. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | The Music of David Yeagley |
| Date: | Saturday, November 10 , 1 pm |
| Description: | Flutist Tim Archambault (Kichesipirini) and members of Cantate Chamber Singers perform works by composer David Yeagley (Comanche), including a Salve Regina, a setting for a Comanche hymn, and a scene from his Holocaust opera, Jacek. Part of the museum's series "Classical Native." |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | New American Indian Music for Cello |
| Date: | Saturday, November 10 , 3 pm |
| Description: | Cellist Dawn Avery (Mohawk) debuts works by Ron Warren (Echota Cherokee), Tim Archambault (Kichesipirini), and Raven Chacon (Navajo). Other performers include the MC World Ensemble, Steven Alvarez, and Timothy Long. Part of the museum's series "Classical Native." |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | A Tribute to Louis Ballard |
| Date: | Saturday, November 10 , 5 pm |
| Description: | Louis Ballard (Quapaw/Cherokee), who died this year, was a composer whose works have been performed around the world. This tribute concert includes performances of his Katcina Dances by Dawn Avery and Timothy Long (Choctaw), his Four Piano Preludes by Lisa Emenheiser, and some of his vocal works by Barbara McAlister (Cherokee). Part of the museum's series "Classical Native." |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | A Concert for Veterans |
| Date: | Sunday, November 11 , 1 pm |
| Description: | In honor of Native veterans, the concert includes performances by R. Carlos Nakai, Tara-Louise Montour (Mohawk), Tim Archambault, Barbara McAlister, Gabriel Ayala, and Dawn Avery and the MC World Ensemble. Part of the museum's series "Classical Native." |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Native Composers' Showcase |
| Date: | Sunday, November 11 , 4 pm |
| Description: | The show includes Dream World Blesses Me by Jerod Tate (Chickasaw Nation), Three Spirit Dances on the Bark of an Ancient Stump by David Yeagley, and the music of Barbara Croall performed by the Verge Ensemble of the Contemporary Music Forum. A reception follows. Part of the museum's series "Classical Native." |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Chesapeake Museum Store |
| Title: | Trunk Show: Teri Greeves |
| Date: | Sunday, November 11 - Sunday, November 18 , 10 am-5:30 pm |
| Description: | Artist Teri Greeves (Kiowa) is best known for her meticulous beaded stories on purses, moccasins, belts, and bracelets. |
| Location: | National Museum of the American Indian, Rasmuson Theater |
| Title: | Views from the Field: Sally Jenkins |
| Date: | Wednesday, November 14 , 6:30 pm |
| Description: | Washington Post journalist Sally Jenkins discusses the gridiron glories of the Carlisle Indian School, the subject of her latest book, The Real All Americans: The Team That Changed a Game, a People, a Nation. A book signing and reception follow the talk, which is moderated by Suzan Shown Harjo (Muskogee Creek). |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery |
| Title: | Catlin's Quest Gallery Tour |
| Date: | Thursday, November 15 , 12 noon |
| Description: | This docent-led gallery tour focuses on the paintings of George Catlin, who from 1830 to 1836 visited fifty Native American tribes living west of the Mississippi River. Catlin's unique record of Native American life is one of the prized collections of the museum. Meet at the Information Desk. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Amnesty Internation USA |
| Date: | Thursday, November 15 , 6 pm |
| Description: | Native American advocates and representatives of Amnesty International discuss the findings of a recent Amnesty report, "Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA." A reception follows. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | From Deer to Dress |
| Date: | Thursday, November 15 - Friday, November 16 , 10 am-12 noon and 1-3 pm |
| Description: | Dresses are more than articles of clothing for Native women; they are aesthetic expressions of culture and identity. In these family events, Kathleen and Jeff Coleclough (Métis) discuss hunting traditions, hide preparation, and dress construction and decoration. Participants learn basic beading techniques and try their hands at making a daisy-chain bracelet or a gourd-stitch bookmark. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Meet the Museum: Dancing the Stories |
| Date: | Thursday, November 15 - Friday, November 16 , 10:30 and 11:45 am |
| Description: | Discovery Theater presents world-renowned hoop dancer Thirza Defoe (Ojibwe/Oneida), who effortlessly weaves twenty-four hoops into flowers, eagles, butterflies, and other natural symbols. The show includes traditional call-and-response Iroquois social songs, storytelling, and an introduction to the Ojibwe language. Finally, the audience joins in a "people's hoop dance." Recommended for ages 6–12. Tickets required. Call 202.633.8700. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Trading Cultures: The Bolling Family and Their Trading Plantation at Kippax |
| Date: | Friday, November 16 , 12 noon |
| Description: | Drawing on decades of research and excavation work, Don Linebaugh of the University of Maryland presents evidence that a colonial Virginia trading family had commercial ties to Indian groups in the West. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | From Deer to Dress |
| Date: | Thursday, November 15 - Friday, November 16 , 10 am-12 noon and 1-3 pm | Saturday, November 17, 10:30 am–3 pm, Room 3010 |
| Description: | Dresses are more than articles of clothing for Native women; they are aesthetic expressions of culture and identity. In these family events, Kathleen and Jeff Coleclough (Métis) discuss hunting traditions, hide preparation, and dress construction and decoration. Participants learn basic beading techniques and try their hands at making a daisy-chain bracelet or a gourd-stitch bookmark. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | American Indian Heritage Month Family Day |
| Date: | Saturday, November 17 , 1-4 pm |
| Description: | The museum celebrates American Indian heritage with a day of stamps, stories, art, and dancing. Participants learn skills associated with various styles of American Indian pottery and dance. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Raven Stole the Sun |
| Date: | Saturday, November 17 , 2 pm |
| Description: | Toronto's Red Sky Performances presents a contemporary take of a traditional story. The curious Raven schemes to steal the sun, the moon, and the stars, but ends up bringing light to the people of the world. Recommended for all ages. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Roots before Branches |
| Date: | Saturday, November 17 - Sunday, November 18 , 12 noon and 3:30 pm |
| Description: | Performance artist Thirza Defoe (Ojibwe/Oneida Nations of Wisconsin) uses video, live music, and dramatic poetry to bridge the divide between deeply rooted traditions and contemporary Native culture. Recommended for all ages. |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery |
| Title: | Catlin's Quest Gallery Tour |
| Date: | Sunday, November 18 , 1 pm |
| Description: | This docent-led gallery tour focuses on the paintings of George Catlin, who from 1830 to 1836 visited fifty Native American tribes living west of the Mississippi River. Catlin's unique record of Native American life is one of the prized collections of the museum. Meet at the Information Desk. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Trunk Show: Tony and Ola Eriacho |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 20 - Sunday, November 25 , 10 am-5:30 pm |
| Description: | Sun-face and sunburst designs are the favorite motifs of Zuni jewelry makers Tony and Ola Eriacho. The sun face is highly stylized, with geometric eyes and mouth. The sunburst has rays of silver or gold emanating from the face. Some of the faces are so small that jet dust is used to make the mouth. |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery |
| Title: | Catlin's Quest Gallery Tour |
| Date: | Monday, November 5 , Thursday, November 15, and Friday, November 30, 12 noon | Sunday, November 18, and Saturday, November 24, 1 pm |
| Description: | This docent-led gallery tour focuses on the paintings of George Catlin, who from 1830 to 1836 visited fifty Native American tribes living west of the Mississippi River. Catlin's unique record of Native American life is one of the prized collections of the museum. Meet at the Information Desk. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Buying Native Art |
| Date: | Saturday, November 24 , 2 pm |
| Description: | Artist and educator Tony Erachio (Zuni Pueblo-Navajo) leads a workshop in which participants learn how to support artists working in authentic Indian traditions. Erachio is president of the Council for Indigenous Arts and Culture. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | N. Scott Momaday |
| Date: | Wednesday, November 28 , 12 noon and 6:30 pm |
| Description: | Regarded as the foremost figure in Native American literature, N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa) won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969 for his first novel, House Made of Dawn. His latest book, Three Plays, is a collection of two stage plays and a screenplay, never before published. His talk at 12 noon is in the museum's Patron's Lounge, Fourth Level. The 6:30 pm talk is in the museum's Rasmuson Theater and is followed by a reception and book signing. Part of the Vine Deloria, Jr., Native Writers Series. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Indigenous World Theater Reading Series |
| Date: | Thursday, November 29 - Saturday, December 1 , 6 pm |
| Description: | The Segal Theatre Center hosts three evenings of readings by writers from North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Cosponsors: Australian Aboriginal Indigenous Theatre Initiative and National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Ancient Peoples and Ancient Shorelines: New Discoveries in the Search for the Earliest N. Americans |
| Date: | Friday, November 30 , 12 noon |
| Description: | For more than thirty years, Natural History curator Dennis Stanford has searched for the traces of the earliest people on this continent. He discusses the odyssey that has taken him from Alaska to Texas to the remnant shorelines of Pleistocene Europe and now to Chesapeake Bay, where a group of sites holds tantalizing clues. The talk is part of the Archaeological Conservancy Series, which continues on December 7 and 14. |
| Location: | Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery |
| Title: | Catlin's Quest Gallery Tour |
| Date: | Monday, November 5 , Thursday, November 15, and Friday, November 30, 12 noon | Sunday, November 18, and Saturday, November 24, 1 pm |
| Description: | This docent-led gallery tour focuses on the paintings of George Catlin, who from 1830 to 1836 visited fifty Native American tribes living west of the Mississippi River. Catlin's unique record of Native American life is one of the prized collections of the museum. Meet at the Information Desk. |
| Location: | |
| Title: | Trunk Show: Keri Ataumbi |
| Date: | Friday, November 30 - Sunday, December 2 , 10 am-5:30 pm |
| Description: | Keri Ataumbi (Kiowa) is a painter and maker of gold and silver jewelry. She grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming and now lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. |
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