American Indian History

Johnny Depp’s Tonto Isn’t Offensive, Just Weird, Says the Director of the American Indian Museum

We sent the Director of the American Indian Museum to the Lone Ranger; here's what he thought

The Lone Ranger mask from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Is the New Tonto Any Better Than the Old Tonto?

A new film revives The Lone Ranger, but has it eliminated the TV series’ racist undertones

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes but the First Thanksgiving likely included wildfowl, corn, porridge and venison.

What Was on the Menu at the First Thanksgiving?

The history of the holiday meal tells us that turkey was always the centerpiece, but other courses have since disappeared

A potential buyer must carefully inspect the rugs at the Navajo rug auction.

Where to Get a Great Rug, and a Helping of Navajo Culture

Connoisseurs of Native American textiles know to go to the Crownpoint, New Mexico, Navajo Rug Auction

Posakei Pongap, a Manus islander, in front of a field ruined by salinization.

The Faces of Climate Change

Flooding islands, melting glaciers and dried-up streams: experience the impacts of climate change through the "Conversations with the Earth" exhibition

Country artist Victoria Blackie (Navajo)

Victoria Blackie Brings Some Country to NMAI

Catch up-and-coming Navajo country artist Victoria Blackie this Saturday, June 11, outside of NMAI

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Women's History Month-Meet Artist Margarete Bagshaw

For third-generation Pueblo artist Margarete Bagshaw, the phrase may as well be “like mother, like daughter, like grand daughter.”

John Ross, left, and Major Ridge teamed up to protect Cherokee holdings in what is now Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

The Cherokees vs. Andrew Jackson

John Ross and Major Ridge tried diplomatic and legal strategies to maintain autonomy, but the new president had other plans

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The Work of R.C. Gorman, the Picasso of American Indian Art

An intimate gallery exhibition at the American Indian Museum features 28 early works of an artist the NY Times has called, "The Picasso of American Art."

Contemporary Northern Cheyenne artist Bently Spang wove together photographic negatives and prints of his family’s Montana ranch to design a variation on a traditional war shirt.

Highlights From “Infinity of Nations”

A new exhibition explores thousands of years of artwork from the Native nations of North, Central and South America

This past Columbus Day, performance artist James Luna stood in front of Washington, D.C.'s Union Station and invited people to take his picture.

Q and A: James Luna

The Native American artist talks about his "Take a Picture With a Real Indian" performance

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Chef Richard Hetzler Dishes on Native Food

The head chef of Mitsitam Cafe, a restaurant located inside the American Indian Museum, shares Native recipes from five different regions of the Americas

Brian Jungen is an installation artist who has a gift for seeing images in mundane objects.

One Man’s Trash is Brian Jungen's Treasure

Transforming everyday items into Native American artwork, Jungen bridges the gap between indigenous and mass cultures

Congress wanted safe passage for white settlers on the Oregon Trail.

Carving Out the West at the Great Smoke Conference

In 1851, American Indian tribes gathered to seek protection of their western lands from frontiersman on the Oregon Trail

Pulitzer Prize-winning author N. Scott Momaday operates the Buffalo Trust, a nonprofit organization working to preserve Native cultures.

N. Scott Momaday and the Buffalo Trust

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Kiowa Indian N. Scott Momaday runs a nonprofit organization working to preserve Native cultures

Navajo frybread cooks in an iron frying pan.

Frybread Recipe

A recipe from Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions

A frybread meal at a Navajo powwow.

Frybread

This seemingly simple food is a complicated symbol in Navajo culture

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