NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

Smithsonian Institution, P. O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

W. Richard West, Director

In 1989, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) was established by an Act of Congress transferring the distinguished collections of the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, to the Smithsonian Institution. The mission of the museum is to advance knowledge and understanding of Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere—past, present, and future—through partnership with Native people and oth-ers. The museum works to support the continuance of culture, traditional values, and tran-sitions in contemporary Native life.

As a source for research, the National Museum of the American Indian offers not only the largest and most comprehensive collection of Native American objects in the world, but also significant archival, photograph, and film and video collections.

In addition to the Smithsonian fellowships, NMAI provides educational opportuni-ties through its own internship and fellowship programs. These programs are designed for students interested in the museum profession and related programming. They offer excep-tional guided work and/or research experience using the resources of NMAI. Placements can be made at any of the museum's three facilities: the George Gustav Heye Center, the Cultural Resources Center, or the Mall Museum. To learn more about these opportunities or to apply, please visit our website, www.AmericanIndian.si.edu.

The George Gustav Heye Center, located in the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City, opened to the public in 1994. The Heye Center hosts exhibitions, music and dance performances, films, and symposia. It also houses the mu-seum’s internationally recognized Film and Video Center.

The Cultural Resources Center (CRC), a state-of-the-art facility in Suitland, Maryland, houses the more than 800,000 objects in the museum’s collections and serves as a hands-on research center for Native and non-Native visitors.

The Mall Museum, which opened to the public in 2004 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is the museum’s major exhibition space - offering three floors of permanent and changing exhibitions. The building is also a center for performances, films, special events, and educational activities.

MUSEUM ASSETS

Collections

The collections include approximately 800,000 objects from throughout the Western Hemisphere. There are collections from all major culture areas of the Americas, for virtu-ally all tribes of the United States, most of those from Canada, and a smaller number from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Chronologically, the col-lection includes artifacts from the Paleo Indian period to contemporary art. Object types range from the strictly utilitarian to masterworks of Native American art. Many are of great historical or aesthetic importance.

Highlights of the collection include 18th century Great Lakes material; Plains clothing, feather bonnets, and painted and quilled hides; Northwest Coast masks and carvings; California basketry; Amazonian featherwork; ceramics from Mexico, Panama, and Ecua-dor; gold ornaments from central Mexico, Colombia, and Peru; the C. B. Moore collec-tion from the southeastern United States; and Navajo weavings including a broad range of early types. Caribbean archaeology is extraordinarily well represented. Works on pa-per include Plains ledger drawings, as well as contemporary prints and paintings.

RESEARCH STAFF

ASH-MILBY, Kathleen E., Associate Curator. B.A. (1991) University of Washington; M.A. (1994), University of New Mexico. Research specialties: Contemporary Native American art with an emphasis on non-traditional art forms including new media, painting, sculpture, installation and photography.

GANTEAUME, Cécile R., Associate Curator. B.A. (1979), M.A. (1994) New York University. Research specialties: North American ethnology and material culture, especially Apachean and Southeastern material culture; MAI-HF and NMAI ethnographic collections history; symbolic anthropology.

LENZ, Mary Jane, Curatorial and Curatorial Unit Head. B.A. (1952) Beloit College; M.A. (1954) Bryn Mawr College. Research specialties: North American ethnology; especially Northwest coast, Arctic; material culture and museology; NMAI history.

McMULLEN, Ann, Curator. B.A. (1981) Dartmouth College; M.A. (1990), Ph.D. (1996) Brown University. Research specialties: Native North American ethnology, history, and material culture, especially Woodlands, Prairies, and Subarctic; ethnohistory; indigenous historiography; museum studies; history of ethnographic research; museum collecting; 20th-century Native American art/craft production; invention of tradition/cultural revitalization; ethnicity, identity, and material culture.

Collections Management
Research areas and interests of the Collections Management Department include compiling and maintaining collections information; controlling and monitoring environ-ments; traditional care and handling of Native art and objects; packing and moving col-lections; location control; collections management databases; and the management of rights and permissions.

RESEARCH STAFF

NIETFELD, Patricia L., Supervisory Collections Manager. B.A. (1967), M.A. (1970) George Washington University; Ph.D. (1981) University of New Mexico. Research specialties: Collections Management.

Paper Archive

Consisting of approximately 300 linear feet of records dating from the 1860s to to-day, the paper archive preserves the history of what was once the Museum of the Ameri-can Indian (MAI), Heye Foundation. The archive’s collections include correspondence; exhibition planning materials; minutes of meetings of the Board of Trustees; and annual reports of the museum as well as its various departments; museum publications; financial reports; legal documents; records of field expeditions sponsored by George Gustav Heye and the Heye Foundation; and public relations materials such as press packages, exhibi-tion brochures, invitations, and museum newsletters. The holdings also contain informa-tion concerning museum objects and collectors. These materials consist of published and unpublished manuscripts; field notes containing original drawings, site diagrams, and maps; scrapbooks, photographs, notes, and letters. Other materials include catalogue notes and object lists; acquisition records relating to gifts, purchases, loans, exchanges, and objects acquired as a result of museum–sponsored expeditions.

Photo Archive

The photo archive has a collection of more than 125,000 images depicting nearly all aspects of Native life in the Western Hemisphere. The collection includes historic studies, portraits, and field photographs of the museum's ethnographic and archaeological expedi-tions, and studio photographs of the museum's collections from North, Central, and South America. The chronological span of the collection ranges from early 19th-century da-guerreotypes to contemporary prints. Represented in the collection are the works of prominent historic photographers such as Edward S. Curtis, Sumner W. Matteson, and W. H. Jackson, as well as notable field workers such as George Pepper and A. Hyatt Ver-rill.

Conservation

The Conservation Department is charged with the care of NMAI’s collections. A state-of-the-art museum conservation facility includes separate laboratories for working on textiles and objects, a technical library, a photography studio, a scientific analytical lab, and a mount-making space.

The department actively pursues research interests related to the collection, preser-vation, study, and exhibition of Native American objects. Ongoing research focuses on: testing and evaluating materials for storage, packing, exhibition casework, and mounts; identifying hazards in NMAI’s collections and developing mitigation strategies; provid-ing material analysis on items related to NMAI’s collections; identifying new technolo-gies for preservation and treatment of collections; and developing strategies for training conservation students that incorporate collaborative approaches to conservation.

RESEARCH STAFF

HEALD, Susan, Senior Textile Conservator. B.A. (1985) George Washington University; M.S. (1990) Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware Art Conservation Program; Postgraduate Fellow (1991) Smithsonian Institution Conservation Analytical Laboratory and Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Research specialties: Conservation of ethnographic textiles and clothing, fiber identification, structural analysis of textiles, methods of fabrication, methods for storing and exhibiting textiles and clothing.

JOHNSON, Jessica S., Senior Objects Conservator. B.A. (1983) University of Kansas; M.A. (1986) University of Arizona; B.Sc. (Hons.) (1990) Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Research specialties: Archaeological field conservation monitoring and treatment techniques, identification of pesticide residues on museum collections, stakeholder collaboration in collections care and conservation treatment.

KAMINITZ, Marian, Head of Conservation Department. B.F.A. (1979) California College of Arts and Crafts; B.A. (1981), B.S. (1981) University of Tennessee, Knoxville; M.S. (1984) Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware Art Conservation Program. Research specialties: Conservation of and studies in materials and techniques of manufacture, organic materials especially feathers, basketry, fibers, hides and sinew. Research in conservation decision making with indigenous community involvement and identifying new technologies for preservation and treatment of collections; and developing strategies for training conservation students that incorporate collaborative approaches to conservation.

KAPLAN, Emily, Objects Conservator. B.A. (1984) University of Massachusetts; M.A. (1993) Queens University, Kingston, Canada. Research specialties: Materials and technology of archaeological and ethnographic objects of the Americas, particularly Andean region.

UHLIR, Shelly, Exhibit Specialist/Mount-Maker. B.A. (1983) Northern Illinois University; Xi'an Foreign languages Institute (1984); University of Maryland (1987). Research specialties: Mountmaking for Exhibition and Photography.

MUSEUM PROGRAMS

Research

The Research Unit serves as the intellectual and scholarly core of the National Mu-seum of the American Indian. The disciplines of history, geography and art are the three main fibers providing cohesion and context for the museum’s diverse programming. The Research Unit conducts original research for scholarly publication and public dissemina-tion, exhibitions, and educational programming, as well as providing museum staff with substantive factual and culturally appropriate information in the multidisciplinary field of American Indian studies. In keeping with the museum’s unique mission, research at NMAI focuses on indigenous perspectives, and includes active and reciprocal engage-ment with indigenous communities to ensure that research is not only balanced and equi-table, but also empowers indigenous peoples to exercise authority over their own cultural expression.

RESEARCH STAFF

ADAMS, James Ring, Senior Historian. Ph.D. (1983), Cornell University. Research specialties: Contact period and impact of indigenous people on European political thought.

BARREIRO, Jose, Assistant Director for Research. Ph.D. (1992), State University of New York at Buf-falo. Research specialties: Native American Studies, Caribbean studies, indigenous social movements, oral narratives, indigenous community development.

HER MANY HORSES, Emil, Associate Curator. B.A. (1979) Augustana College; (1995) Loyola University, Chicago. Research specialties: Northern Plains Tribal Arts.

HERMAN, R.D.K., Senior Geographer, Ph.D. (1995), University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Research special-ties: Indigenous geography, Native Science, indigenous education, colonization and imperialism, place names, shamanism.

HIRSCH, Mark G., Historian. Ph.D. (1984), Harvard University. Research specialties: 19th and 20th century social and cultural history; U.S. Indian policy; Native American perceptions of time, work, and leisure.

SMITH, Paul Chaat, Associate Curator. (1973) High Point High School. Research specialties: Popular culture, museums, 1970s U.S. political activism, romanticism, contemporary art, guns, photography, history.

TAYAC, Gabrielle A., Historian. Ph.D. (1999), Harvard University. Research specialties: American Indian identity, policy, religious traditions, and social movements; Latin American indigenous transnationalism; Chesapeake regional tribes; museum education.

TRAUTMANN, Rebecca, Museum Specialist. B.A. (1996), University of Texas at Austin. Research specialties: Modern and contemporary Native American art; Plateau baskets.

Education

The museum’s Education Department develops and implements interpretive pro-gramming and hands-on workshops for the general public, families, and school groups at the Mall Museum in Washington, D.C., and the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City. Cultural interpreters offer guided gallery visits and develop workshops to pre-sent diverse aspects of Native culture to the museum’s audiences. The department also offers professional development for educators, and creates teaching materials for class-room use.

Cultural Arts

The museum’s cultural arts programming provides opportunities for visitors to the Mall Museum in Washington, D.C., and the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City to experience the living arts, lives, and concerns of Native peoples through perform-ances by artists, musicians, dancers, actors, writers, and storytellers.

Publications

The museum’s publishing program seeks to augment awareness of Native beliefs and lifeways, and to educate the public about the history and significance of Native cul-tures through a variety of projects, including scholarly books, exhibition-related books, a series of illustrated children’s books, symposium proceedings, spoken arts recordings, and assorted products such as calendars and notecards. The museum’s award-winning publications have been distinguished by their successful synthesis of Native perspectives, first-rate scholarship, and compelling design.

Seminars and Symposia

The museum’s Seminar and Symposium Program is the intellectual home for the investigation, discussion, and understanding of issues of concern for Native communities in the Western Hemisphere and Hawai?i. The program promotes meaningful study, dis-cussion, and civic engagement, providing a national forum for historical and contempo-rary topics of concern and interest to Native peoples. Selected topics include international museums, indigenous language preservation, contemporary Native art, history, traditional arts, music, indigenous foods, environment, as well as the content and ideas presented in the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. In addition, the program hosts monthly lectures and panel discussions, complemented by two symposia each year.

Film and Video Center

The Film and Video Center (FVC) houses a collection of approximately 2,000 films, videos, radio and television programs, and new media produced by and about in-digenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere and Hawai‘i. Dating from the mid 19th century to the present, the works include interviews with Native artists, curators, and me-dia makers, and films of the Crow and Zuni peoples from the 1920s and ’30s. The FVC organizes public screenings at the museum’s New York City and Washington, D.C., loca-tions, and across the country. One highlight of the center’s work is the biennial Native American Film and Video Festival. Founded in 1979, it is one of the country’s longest-running Native film festivals and the first to showcase productions from throughout the Americas and present new radio and multimedia. The FVC also maintains a bilingual (English/Spanish) website, www.nativenetworks.si.edu.

RESEARCH STAFF

WEATHERFORD, Elizabeth, Head of the Film and Video Center. B.A. (1966) Duke University; M.A. (1971) The New School for Social Research. Research specialties: Native American and world indigenous film, video, and radio; representational issues in media and cinema; visual anthropology.

AFFILIATED RESEARCH STAFF

SEUBERT, Emelia, Assistant Curator. B.A. (1972) Oklahoma State University. Research specialties: Archival film resources on Native Americans and contemporary Native North American media.

COMMUNITY AND CONSTITUENT SERVICES

Community and Constituent Services, based at the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland, is a cornerstone of the museum’s commitment to outreach, providing a vital link between the museum and Native communities across the Americas and Ha-wai`i for the purposes of ongoing consultation and collaboration. The department culti-vates relationships with cultural, professional, and governmental organizations and institutions worldwide. Programs and services support the presentation, promotion, and preservation of Native culture and heritage through internships, professional training, cultural protocol, Native arts programs, community exhibitions, and resource centers.

RESEARCH STAFF

MATOS, Ramiro, Curator. B.A. (1959), Ph.D. (1962) University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru. Research specialties: South American archaeology; Andean archaeology, ethnology, ethnohistory, and cultural continuity; Inka culture and ethnohistory; grassroot community development in the Peruvian central highlands.

Repatriation Office

The Repatriation Office, formed in response to the National Museum of American Indian Act (Public Law 101 185), handles repatriation requests; coordinates community visits; prepares research reports; and makes recommendations regarding repatriation and deaccession to the Board of Trustees. The goal of the museum's repatriation policy is to support the continuation of ceremonial life among Native peoples; to foster and support the study by Native peoples of their own traditions; and to forge consensus between the museum and Native communities while accounting for and balancing the interests of each. Research and collections documentation is a critical activity of the department.

Resource Centers

The Resource Centers are public research and reference areas located at the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City and at the Mall Museum in Washington, D.C. Both centers have a reference desk, work study area, videos, hands-on collection boxes, and an Interactive Learning Center. The Resource Centers build on the museum’s exhibi-tions, and expand the museum’s available information to all corners of the Western Hemisphere. For visitors who seek in-depth research, the centers’ collections include books for all ages, providing information on subjects such as genealogy, history, culture, art, and tribal enterprises.

RESEARCH STAFF

DE GENNARO, Gaetana, Museum Technician. B.A. (1991) Hunter College. Research specialties: Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.

Introduction

Information for Applying to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program, including the fields of research

Fellowship and Internship Opportunities

Research Assistance Programs

Smithsonian Research Staff and Affiliated Research Staff E-Mail Directory

Office of Research Training and Services Applications

• Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program
• Smithsonian Institution Latino Studies Fellowship Program
• Smithsonian Institution Molecular Evolution Fellowship Program
• Minority Internship Program
• James E. Webb Internship Program
• Native American Awards Program