Peabody Essex Museum

all photos from www.pem.org

Name: Peabody Essex Museum
Tribe: various nations
Location: East India Square, 161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970
Type: Museum, Archive/Library
Visiting Info: Open Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm (9pm on 3rd Thursday of every month). Admission: $10-$18.
Contact: Website, telephone 978-745-9500, 866-745-1876

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, is one of the oldest continuously operating museums in the United States and has one of the oldest collections of Native American art in the Americas. Although it has a history steeped in the traditional narrative of the white explorer collecting "curiosities" from exotic Native communities, the museum is making strides to present Native art thoughtfully and collaboratively today.

The PEM got its start in 1799 when the East India Marine Company was chartered from Salem's community of shipping captains with the provision to create a museum from the interesting things they brought home from their world travels. The modern collection focuses heavily on Maritime art and history, Asian art, Native art, and historic architecture.

In 2012, the PEM staged Shapeshifting: Transformations in Native American Art, one of the largest presentations of Native art in decades, consisting of 80 works from a wide array of media. Shapeshifting mixed traditional and modern art pieces based on themes, which is an unusual presentation for Native art. The exhibit was highly respected and received a lot of complementary media attention.

The current, smaller Native art exhibit, Raven's Many Gifts: Native Art of the Northwest Coast, is on view until to December 27, 2015. It showcases traditional and contemporary art from Pacific Northwest tribes, focusing on themes of "Living Stories, Family Connections and Market Innovations."

The PEM offers paid internships to Native graduate students who are interested in pursuing museum studies and other cultural professions. The program is designed to bring more Native representation and perspectives into the museum field and to promote Native leadership in the cultural professions.

Peabody Essex is also committed to building partnerships with contemporary Native artists and to promote Native culture and values through their involvement with the ECHO Project (Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations).

Note: One of the most beloved pieces from the Shapeshifting exhibit was Nicholas Galanin's (Tlingit/Aleut) "Tsu Heidei Shugaxtutaan part 1 and part 2" which translates to "We Will Again Open This Container of Wisdom That Has Been Left in Our Care" (2006). The two videos that comprise the artwork, one of a breakdancer over traditional Tlingit music and the other of a traditional dancer in regalia dancing to EDM, can be viewed here.

Resources:
Wall Street Journal article from Jan. 18, 2012, "Artifacts to Artworks."
Boston Globe article from Feb. 3, 2012, "Review: Two museum show Native American art, then and now."

"Curiosity, Cabinets, and Knowledge: A perspective on the Native American Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum," by John R Grimes.

The Spa at Norwich Inn

photo from the Spa at Norwich Inn photo gallery

Name: The Spa at Norwich Inn
Tribe: Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
Location: 607 West Thames Street, Norwich, CT 06360
Type: Luxury Hotel and Spa, Event space
Visiting Info: Check website for reservations, Kensington's Restaurant: daily 7am-10pm, Ascot's Pub: daily 11:30am-11pm (midnight Fri-Sat), Spa: Sun-Thurs 7am-8pm.
Contact: Website, telephone 1-800-275-4772

Built in 1929, the Norwich Inn hosted tons of celebrities before falling into disrepair after World War II. In 1994, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation bought the renovated property which then included a spa in addition to the original inn and golf course. The tribe renovated and doubled the size of the resort again in 2000 to make it the luxurious destination it is now.

The property includes 45 guest rooms and four suites in the Inn and 50 condo villas that have their own kitchens and sitting areas. The full-service spa offers 37 different treatments, a salon, a steam room and sauna, indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center, and tennis courts. If you can't stay for the night, you can eat in the Kensington's Restaurant or have a drink in Ascot's Pub. The Inn also hosts conferences and weddings with in-house catering.

photo from Weddings at Norwich Inn 

The Spa at Norwich Inn is conveniently located halfway between New York City and Boston and is one of the Historic Hotels of America, part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It's also minutes away from the Lake of Isles Golf Courses, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Foxwoods Resort Casino, and Mohegan Sun Casino, all of which are tribally-owned.

Resources:
The Spa on Facebook
The Spa on tripadvisor
Restaurant review of Kensington's

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum

photo from Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Facebook page

Name: Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum
Tribe: Seminole Tribe of Florida
Location: 34725 West Boundary Road, Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, Clewiston, FL, 33440
Type: Museum, Cultural Heritage, Traditional Crafts, Library/Archive
Visiting Info: Open everyday (closed some holidays), 9am-5pm, Guided tours by appointment, Library open by appointment, Mon-Fri, 9am-4:30pm; Admission: $7.50-$10
Contact: Website, telephone 877-902-1113

The Seminole Tribe of Florida (along with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida) is one of three federally-recognized tribes of the Seminole people. When the Native people of the Southeastern states were forced to move to Indian Territory, some of the Seminoles retreated into the Everglades, refusing to be removed. Today, the Seminole Tribe of Florida maintains six reservations in the southern part of the state, the largest of which is the Big Cypress Reservation near Clewiston in between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades National Park.

Big Cypress is home to the tribe's acclaimed Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. Visitors start out in the museum space which includes a short introductory film and galleries depicting traditional Seminole communities and culture. Changing temporary exhibits explore contemporary Seminole life and people, such as the current exhibit on modern reinterpretations of Seminole patchwork clothing.

Exhibit runs until Nov. 30, 2105.

Outside the museum, a raised boardwalk path leads through a cypress grove, past the Clan Pavilion which presents background information on the eight current Seminole clans, to a replica ceremonial grounds and village. In the village, craftspeople demonstrate how they make traditional Seminole art pieces, which are then for sale.

photo from tripadvisor.com

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki also houses a library and an oral history museum. Much of the oral history recordings are available to tribal members only, but the museum posts some podcasts on their webpage. Some of their archival collections are also online.

Big Cypress Reservation is also home to the Billie Swamp Safari, the Junior Cypress Rodeo and Entertainment Complex, and the Big Cypress RV Resort, all of which are tribally-owned. The Seminole Tribe of Florida also owns several other business enterprises across the state (and the world), including the Hard Rock restaurants and casinos, two of which are on their reservations in Tampa and Hollywood, FL.

Resources:

Seminole Tribe of Florida

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki on Facebook
NPR's April 2013 All Things Considered feature "Meeting Florida's Seminoles Through Rediscovered Photos."

Great Mound of Mound Bottom State Park

Mound Bottom from May's Mace Bluff
photo by Scantonio via Wikipedia

Name: Mound Bottom Archaeological Site, Harpeth River State Park
Tribe: Mississippian culture
Location: Highway 70, Kingston Springs, TN 37887
Type: Historic, Archaeological Site, State Park
Visiting Info: Harpeth River State Park is open year-round from 7am until 4:30pm in winter and 7pm in summer, guided hikes to Mound Bottom occur Sundays at 1pm, Oct-Dec, by reservation only.
Contact: Website, telephone 615-952-2099

The complex of 14 mounds, tombs, a plaza, earthwork fortifications, and houses that make up the Mound Bottom Archaeological Site were probably built between 950 and 1300 AD. The settlement was constructed in a bend of the Harpeth River in what is now central-western Tennessee by the Mississippian culture that proceeded the Muscogee Creek confederacy. The primary Great Mound is 25 feet tall with a ramp that once went from a central plaza up to its flat top. A community of hundreds of homes enclosed by an earthen wall topped by a wooden palisade surrounded the Great Mound. The settlement was a ceremonial gathering place and trade center for the Mississippian people.

Today the Mound Bottoms State Park and the nearby Mississippian petroglyph of a ceremonial mace at May's Mace Bluff are part of the Harpeth River State Park. The park is open daily year-round, but the Mound Bottom site and the petroglyph are only accessible through a guided tour. The guided hikes are provided by the Tennessee State Parks Department and are offered on Sunday afternoons in the fall by appointment only. Mound Bottom artifacts from a 1970's archaeological dig can be viewed at the Park Office at Montgomery Bell State Park.

Resources:
Mound Bottom on Wikipedia

Indian Country Today article, "Celebrate the Great Mound of Mound Bottom in Tennessee."
Harpeth River State Park and Mound Bottom on Tennessee History for Kids
Historic Mound Bottom on the Harpeth River Watershed Association website
Mound Bottom on the Native History Association website

Indian Country Golf Courses

Sewailo Golf Course at the Casino del Sol Resort (Pasqua Yaqui) in Tucson, AZ
photo from nb3consulting.com

To be honest, I'm not much of a golfer. Hand-eye coordination isn't one of my strengths. Not that my Papa didn't try to teach me. My (step) grandfather was an avid and talented golfer (and citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation). If he were still with us, I know he would get a big kick out of the fact that his tribe now owns the Country Club in our hometown where he could only ever afford to play in the charity tournaments he won.

The stereotypes of Indians may rarely include golf clubs and rolling green courses, but the reality is that the number of tribally-owned golf courses in the US is on the rise, and some of those are award-winning facilities garnering high praise.

Atunyote Golf Course at Turning Stone Resort Casino (Oneida) in Verona, NY
photo from turningstone.com

According to the Indian Gaming Magazine map of Native-owned golf courses in the US - the most comprehensive list I could find online - there are 60 courses in 18 states, although some reports say up to 70 courses. California has nine, which is the most in any one state, with New Mexico, Arizona, Minnesota, and Michigan ranking close behind.

Willow Glen Golf Course at Sycuan Casino & Golf Resort in El Cajon, CA
(Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation)
photo from indiangaming.com

Most of these tribal courses are attached to casino resorts, and some of the golf course expansion in Native communities is merely an outgrowth of the boom in these resort properties. However, some of the rising popularity may be tied to the fame of Native golfers Rickie Fowler, Jeff Curl, and Jessie Smith, as well as Notah Begay III, four-time PGA tour winner and owner of the NB3 Consulting Group.

The mission of NB3 Consulting is "to work with American Indian Tribes on the development of new golf course projects and the renovation of existing golf properties." As a result, Begay was named one of the Golf Innovators of the Year by Golf Magazine in 2007. The courses the company has helped to build are award-winning.

photo from nb3foundation.org

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation also runs golf camps for children designed to promote health and leadership development and to create access for Native youth to the game of golf. We may see quite a few more elite indigenous golfers in the coming generations! Until then, you can enjoy some Indian Country vistas while you play a round of 18 holes.

Resources:
Indian Gaming golf course map
Indian Country Today Media Network article from February 15, 2013, "Native-Owned Golf Courses Earning Topflight Honors: Turning Stone and Hickory Stick Play Through"
Golfers West article from June 3, 2013, "Who's saving golf? Native Americans"
NB3 Foundation on Facebook

Medicine Wheel: To Go or Not to Go?

Before I saw this tweet, I had never heard of the Bighorn Medicine Wheel. I've never been to Wyoming and am not terribly familiar with these physical medicine wheel constructions on the northern plains. But 700 years is significant, this photo looks almost unreal, and the "most sacred site for Native Americans" part makes me nervous, so I was curious to find out the real story on this place.

The Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark is a fascinating place, especially for someone like me with anthropology/archaeology and history degrees and a strong interest in Native culture. But for someone (again, like me) who is writing a travel blog encouraging people to go learn about and experience Native America, a bunch of red flags also started waving in my head. While the Wheel is in a National Forest that welcomes visitors and does have interpreters onsite in the summer, it is a sacred and protected place. Should a non-Native traveler like me go there? Should we just stay away out of respectfulness?

The Medicine Wheel is located near the summit of Medicine Mountain in the Bighorn National Forest near Lovell, Wyoming. It has been used by Northwest Plains tribes such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Lakota, Dakota, Shoshone, Cree, Salish, Kootenai and Blackfeet for hundreds of years as a ceremonial location. Archaeologists believe that the surrounding area of connected sites has been in use by humans for more than 7,000 years. Between 70 and 150 similar medicine wheels have been found in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, but the Medicine Mountain wheel is one of the best preserved and most typical.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1969 and renamed Medicine Mountain National Historic Landmark (from Bighorn Medicine Wheel) in 2011. Unfortunately, the Forest Service has not had a strong history prior to these most recent agreements of partnering with Native tribes to protect the integrity of the area as a sacred place and ensure the peoples' rights to use the site for ceremonial purposes. In 1988, a Forest Service plan to expand tourism to the area was blocked by a coalition of indigenous, environmental, and historical-preservation groups who felt the plan was too exploitative.

That action resulted in a 1996 Historic Preservation Plan which currently mandates unlimited tribal ceremonial use and carefully managed, restricted tourism. Native American interpreters guide visitors when the site is not in use for ceremonies, and there is a 1.5 mile hike to the Medicine Wheel in order to minimize vehicle traffic. Legal action has been taken to prohibit or limit natural resources extraction, such as logging and grazing.

So, should you and I make the hike up Medicine Mountain to visit the Medicine Wheel if we find ourselves in the area? Does it make a difference that I am white? What about a member of another tribe from elsewhere in America who might be on vacation there, such as a Choctaw or a Mohegan citizen? What about a practitioner of some New Age religion who wants to visit the site as a "pilgrim?"

I don't know what the answers are. As my mouse hovered over that original tweet, I questioned whether it was the right thing to do. And I decided not to hit retweet.

Resources:

Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain NHL article on Wikipedia

Sacred Land Film Project Medicine Wheel article
Research Report from the Pluralism Project at Harvard University
Bighorn National Forest page on USDA National Forest Service site

Heard Museum

Name: Heard Museum
Tribe: Pan-tribal, primarily southwestern nations
Location: 2301 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Type: Art and History Museum
Visiting Info: Mon-Sat: 9:30am-5pm, Sun: 11am-5pm, First Fri of every month: 6pm-10pm; Admission: $5-$23
Contact: Website, telephone 602-252-8840

The Heard Museum's permanent collections center on two areas: Southwestern Native cultures and contemporary Native art from across North America. In this way, the museum covers both the history of Native people in the Southwest and modern Native culture and experiences expressed through art.

The Heard is well respected for it's sensitive and honest presentation of American Indian culture. They seem to strive to hire Native staff and trustees and to create real partnerships with tribes and artists in order to provide the most accurate representations. It's a place where Native people are telling a story about themselves.

In addition to the art galleries, the museum complex includes beautiful outdoor spaces, an archival library, a restaurant, a coffee shop, two stores, and the American Indian Veterans National Memorial.

The Heard Museum Shop has become a premier Native art dealer, and the museum also provides a book store, Books & More, which offers titles on American Indian and Southwestern art, history, cooking, travel, and children's books. You can shop online from their selections.

The Courtyard Café serves Native/Southwest cuisine such as posolé, fresh-baked tortilla chips, and frybread with hummus made from tepary beans which are indigenous to Arizona.

Linda Lomahaftewa (Hopi/Choctaw) “New Mexico Sunset” 1978.
photo from heard.org.

The Heard Museum hosts events, festivals, dance competitions, community and children's programming, online and video collections, auditorium and amphitheater performance spaces, and a children's courtyard play area. They are also home to the renowned Annual Heard Guild Indian Fair and Market in March.



Resources:
New York Times article from May 13, 1999, "Making Peace With Museums To Celebrate Their Culture; Phoenix Points the Way To Full Indian Collaboration."
Heard Museum on Facebook
Events at the Heard

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

photo from @indianpueblo on Twitter

Name: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Tribe: Pueblo
Location: 2401 12th St. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
Type: Cultural Heritage Center, Museum, Library/Archive, Event Space, Café
Visiting Info: Museum: Mon-Sun, 9am-5pm (Shumakolowa Gifts closes at 5:30); Pueblo Harvest Café & Bakery: Mon-Thur, 8am-8:30pm, Fri-Sat, 8am–9pm, Sunday Brunch 8am–4pm; Museum admission: $3-$6
Contact: Website, telephone 866-855-7902

The logo of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in downtown Albuquerque says, "Gateway to the 19 Pueblos of NM," and it is a great spot for visitors to get a multifaceted introduction to Pueblo culture.

The museum's permanent exhibits detail the history of the people, and a series of small galleries displays contemporary art and pottery from each pueblo, describing the differences in style and form. A small theater has short films highlighting Pueblo artists, and murals from a special project that began in 1976 are displayed on the walls around the Center. The South Galleries and Avanyu Gallery host changing temporary exhibits.

One highlight of most visitors' experience is the dance exhibition hosted by the IPCC every weekend year-round. Performances are scheduled on Fridays at 2pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 2pm in the Courtyard.

photo from IPCC on Facebook

The Shumak'olo:wa Native Arts store is really more of an fine art dealer than a typical museum gift shop. The pieces they have for sale are carefully curated and the staff is particularly knowledgeable about traditional and contemporary Southwest Native art. Prices reflect the artistry and authenticity of the pieces, but customers can trust that they are supporting Native artists and their community. They have some of their pieces for sale online, in addition to a guide for collecting authentic Native American art.

Green chile and bacon pancakes
photo from Pueblo Harvest's Facebook page

The Pueblo Harvest Café and Bakery serves Native/Southwestern cuisine all day with a view of the Sandia Mountains. They also host live music on the patio most nights from 6-9pm. The Café is accessible even if you don't visit the Center's exhibits, and there is a private event space.

The IPCC runs a free shuttle service  between the Center, their Holiday Inn Express & Suites across the street, the Old Town section of Albuquerque, and the Albuquerque Biological Park Zoo. (Note, the Four Winds Travel Center convenience store and gas station on the corner is also Pueblo-owned.)

Resources:
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Facebook
Pueblo Harvest Café and Bakery on Facebook
Shumakolowa Native Arts on Facebook
IPCC Links Page - so many other great SW Native resources

Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery in Denver, CO

Indian Taco
photo from tocabe.com

Name: Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery
Tribe: Osage, Pan-Indian
Location: 3536 W 44th Ave, Denver, CO 80211 and
                8181 E. Arapahoe Rd., Unit C, Greenwood Village, CO 80112
Type: Restaurant, Native Cuisine, Catering
Visiting Info: Mon-Sat: 11am-9pm, Sun: noon-8pm
Contact: Website, telephone 720-524-8282 (Denver), 720-485-6738 (Greenwood Village)

Denver location: the wallpaper is reminiscent of prairie grass, the plexiglas on the ceiling represents wind and clouds, and the handprints stand for the three traditional Osage villages. photo from tocabe.com

Tocabe is a Native-owned and operated two-location restaurant chain in Colorado that serves Native food in a casual setting.

Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs (Osage) first opened Tocabe in Denver in 2008, followed by a second restaurant in suburban Greenwood Village in 2014. They borrowed recipes from the Jacobs family's first restaurant in Denver, Grayhorse: An American Indian Eatery, and expanded on the traditional Osage cuisine to create a modern, pan-tribal menu.

Diners first choose between Indian taco, stuffed fry bread, Medicine Wheel nachos, or fried bannock, and then add a protein (ground beef or bison, grilled chicken, or shredded bison) or veggies. They also offer bison ribs, green chili stew, "bad hunter" salads, kids meals, and a variety of salsas. I've read an assortment of great reviews praising the Osage hominy salsa, which is made of hominy, red onion, cranberries, and cilantro. Dessert option include wojapi, which is a thick sauce or pudding made out of berries, and frybread nuggets.

Resources:

Tocabe on the Food Network, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives"

Indian Country Today article from March 28, 2015, "Tocabe x2: Native American Eatery in Denver Doubles-down on Success."