Leaving the halls of the American History Museum, I ambled over to the Smithsonian Castle for a brief look at the bust and casket of the Smithsonian’s founder, James Smithson. Smithson was British and never set foot in America, yet is known for giving a generous grant for the creation of a national museum. Seventy-five years after his death, his remains were brought to America where they now rest in the very castle I visited. It was incredibly interesting to learn the story of the Smithsonian’s namesake.
I then traversed over to the Natural History Museum briefly for lunch and a quick look at the Halls of Human Origin. Truly enthralling! The hall included a brief overview of the prominent theories of human evolution as well as hands-on exhibits and lifelike busts of our early human ancestors. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I was running out of time and wanted to make my way to the Museum of the American Indian.
At first glance, the building for the Museum of the American Indian evoked a natural and organic feeling (it reminded me of a weathered mountain). The material of the building as well as the foliage and trees around it gave the building a mystical and otherworldly aura. It seemed supernatural when all of a sudden the wind began to pick up as I was walking around the grounds. I definitely did not have enough time to explore everything I wanted to see, but the museum was exciting. I enjoyed the cultural displays of many of the tribes on the top floor and the exhibit on treaties between governments and the Native Americans, but my favorite exhibit was a photography exhibit by Horace Poolaw, a Kiowa Indian born in Oklahoma close to the beginning of the 20th century. His black and white photography did a great deal to embody everyday Native American life in modern America. I was particularly drawn to a photo of a Kiowan man dressed in traditional garb with a 40s or 50s pickup truck in the background. I loved the interpretation attributed to it; essentially, it said that the man in the picture does not feel conflict between tradition and progress, rather to him they are beliefs and ideas that can work in harmony together. It was paradigm-shattering.
My short trip to the National Mall was a great time and an even greater experience. I was reminded of the awesome power of museums and the objects held within them. The stories of our natural and cultural heritage are told through these objects. Connecting with the past helped me to feel galvanized to action in the present and prepared for whatever the future might hold.
