American Indian museum opens in D.C.

When freshman Jasmine Alfonso witnessed the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., last month, she had never seen so many American Indians in one place in her life. \n"We took over Washington, D.C.," she said. Alfonso is one of several American Indian IU students who traveled to the nation's capital to participate in the opening of Smithsonian Institution's newest museum Sept. 21. She is among 88 IU students who identify themselves as American Indians out of more than 38,000 students registered at IU-Bloomington, according to the IU factbook.\nThe project has been in the works for more than 12 years. The museum was established by an act of Congress in 1989, but planning didn't begin until 1992, Anthropology Professor Wesley Thomas said. Alfonso said the museum is a long overdue recognition for American Indians -- and not just for the past 12 years. \n"It took a while for us to finally get recognized," she said. "It will clear a lot of misconceptions people have about Native Americans."\nMore than 500 tribes from across the U.S., Central America and Canada were represented in the proceedings, according to the NMAI's Web site. The museum is not necessarily a representation of the relationship between the American Indians and the U.S. government, but more of an acknowledgment of the presence of the modern American Indian, Thomas said. \nThe official opening of the museum included a procession of the Native Nations through the streets of Washington, D.C. Members of all 500 tribes represented at the museum participated. Once inside the musuem, visitors viewed exhibits of the different tribes.\nOne of the key displays was an exhibit that shows different American Indians not from the tribes, but from various cities across America and their involvement in these communities. American Indians artists, such as singer Buffy Sainte-Marie, gave a concert later in the day.\nThomas, who has worked with Smithsonian since 1992 on the museum project, also attended the opening. He said he feels pretty positivly about the museum.\n"I'm impressed with the museum," said Thomas, who is also the coordinator of First Nations, an American Indian group at IU. "It will not be about the disappearing Indian. It says that we're still here. Genocide didn't fully take place. We are the survivors of colonialism, and we're still here."\nIU students echoed that the museum will go a long way to disprove many of the stereotypes some people have about American Indians. \n"We will be able to show that we are more than just teepee and head dresses," Alfonso said.\nAlthough the museum is a big success, it still will not heal all the wounds the Native American people have felt during the years, Thomas said. Evidence of this fact is shown in the displays at the museum, and the absence of exhibits explaining the history between the Native Americans and the U.S. government.\n"I don't think the country as a whole is ready to admit (the past with the Native Americans) to themselves," Thomas said. "Many don't talk about it because there is an unconscious guilt about it. That's one of the reasons American Indians are not a part of the history books. They appear for Thanksgiving, then disappear."\nThough the museum is a great success and will break many of the stereotypes that people have about Native Americans, Thomas said America has a long way to go to heal the strained relationship between U.S. society today and Native Americans.\nFor more information about Native Americans at IU, visit the First Nations Web site at www.iub.edu/~fniu.\n-- Contact staff writer Waddell Hamer at whamer@indiana.edu.