Smithsonian Voices

From the Smithsonian Museums

Michael Smith, founder and director of the American Indian Film Institute, at the 42nd annual American Indian Film Festival. November 2017, San Francisco. (Courtesy of the American Indian Film Festival)

Native Film Advocate Michael Smith (1951–2018)—An Appreciation

Michael Smith (Fort Peck Sioux Tribe), the founder and director of the American Indian Film Institute and American Indian Film Festival, was an advocate for Native people and a leader in bringing their voices to mainstream media through film. His dedication to showcasing films by or about American Indians and First Nations people was tireless. He could be seen at conventions, film festivals, tribal communities—even at local diners—where he would chat with anyone about his loves: the American Indian Film Festival and his family.

Representatives of the Navajo Nation read the original text of the Naaltsoos Sání, or Navajo Treaty of 1868, after its unveiling in the exhibition

The Treaty that Reversed a Removal—the Navajo Treaty of 1868—Goes on View

Finalists in the design competition for National Native American Veterans Memorial to be built on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. From left to right: Leroy Transfield (Māori: Ngai Tahu/Ngati Toa), Daniel SaSuWeh Jones (Ponca), Stefanie Rocknak, Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne/Arapaho), James Dinh; not shown: Enoch Kelly Haney (Seminole). (Travis Helms, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian)

Finalists Present Their Design Concepts for the National Native American Veterans Memorial

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