Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
Clewiston, Florida
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation in central Florida, showcases the culture and history of the Seminole tribe. The museum’s permanent collection features life casts of tribal members that depict what everyday life was like for Seminoles during the 1890s. The displays demonstrate ceremonial activities, dancing, hunting and more.
The museum is divided into three galleries that display rotating exhibits throughout the year. Opening this month is an exhibit that features the work of Elgin Jumper. The exhibit will feature portraits of tribal elders and landscape photography.
Groups will also want to explore outside the museum with a walk down the boardwalk through the cypress dome to see the traditional Seminole structures and cultural demonstrations on the museum campus. At the halfway point is a re-creation of Seminole ceremonial grounds as well as a court for playing stickball. Farther along at the Seminole Village, tribal members lead cultural demonstrations and Seminole artisans share traditional crafts such as woodcarving, jewelry-making and sweetgrass basket weaving with visitors. Also along the boardwalk are the clan pavilion and hunting grounds.
Throughout the year, the museum hosts the Seminole Discovery Days, a series of events that feature different elements of Seminole culture. Each event features a different theme, such as archaeological discoveries from the area or a beadwork demonstration.
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
Indianapolis
Indianapolis’ Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art started as the private collection of the businessman Harrison Eiteljorg, who acquired a substantial compilation of Western art and cultural artifacts. In 1989, when his collection outgrew his home, he started the museum. After the museum opened its doors, the collection continued to grow beyond Eiteljorg’s purchases, and it now includes an extensive array of artifacts from the past 200 years.
The museum has two galleries devoted to Western art. The second floor is the Native American Art Gallery.
The special exhibit “Dogs: Faithful and True” is open through August 6. The exhibit explores the roles of worker and companion that dogs played in the native, pioneer and other Western cultures. On display are objects, photographs, paintings and sculpture that feature canine companions and workers. A schedule of special dog-related events has also been planned to accompany the exhibit.
Every June, the museum hosts the Indian Market and Festival; this year’s festival, scheduled for June 24-25, will be the market’s 25th year. The weekendlong celebration includes music and dance, cultural demonstrations and art by artists from over 60 tribes across the United States and Canada. This year, a special exhibit to coincide with the market will feature contemporary Native American art.
The Eiteljorg Museum is on the grounds of White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis, with the Indiana State Museum, the NCAA Hall of Champions and the Indianapolis Zoo a short walk away.
Mitchell Museum
Evanston, Illinois
The Mitchell Museum, in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, was created to showcase Native American cultures from all over the United States and Canada. With artifacts from over 1,100 cultures on display, groups will have a wonderful opportunity to learn about tribes from every region of the continent.
The permanent collection features pieces from the different regions that range from prehistory to the present, but most of the artifacts on display are from the 19th century onward.
“We try to talk about the traditional cultures but bring it to the present, and bring that culture forward to the present day and current events,” said Kathleen McDonald, director of the museum.
The museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with a special exhibit, “Connecting Cultures: 40 Years at the Mitchell Museum,” which features art created by native artists. Also on display for 2017 is the exhibit “Pottery: A Timeless Tradition,” a sampling of pottery and artifacts from cultures spanning the northern tundra to the deserts of the Southwest and the woodland tribes of the East.
Groups visiting the museum will also have the rare opportunity to explore authentic structures, like a fishing wigwam and the Ciporoke — pronounced chi-po-tee-kay — at the museum to see how these structures were built and used by the Ho-Chunk tribe in the area.
