Museum of the American Indian

We went to the National Museum of the American Indian located in The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Battery Park. There were three main exhibitions. One was about contemporary Native American musicians from a variety of genres of music.

Then There was a permanent exhibition that had historical artifacts. Similar to the other art exhibitions, it showed how nature inspired design and patterns. Several objects on display were accompanied by a description of their rituals. In particular, there was a woven basket that was followed by an explanation about how personal possessions were destroyed at burial. I am interested in learning about their burial practices because it seems to resemble modern day practices, especially with the symbolism of personal objects.

The final exhibition was about contemporary art. I believe most of  it was related to the genocide, life on the reservations, and the revival of past traditions. I was mostly impacted by the map that was hung outside of the gift shop. It showed how much land they had compared to how land much they lost in the small time frame. This museum works with the theme of the other memorials located in Battery Park. Each one is a dedication to a group of people that have experienced suffering.