Annual Farrand Lecture: National Museum of the American Indian: Reflections on American History and 21st Century Museology September 30, 2009

The National Museum of the American Indian’s opening on 2004 at the head of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. turned the page in American history by recognizing and affirming the primary place of Native peoples as the First Citizens of the Americas and as an integral element of American heritage. The inauguration of the Museum also transformed and expanded the definition of the term “museum” far beyond 20th century convention and practice - from a stop on the tour bus route to a gathering place and forum of national and international reach for representation, discussion, and debate.

W. Richard West Jr., a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne, retired at the end of 2007 from the position of founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. West has devoted his professional life and much of his personal life to working with American Indians on cultural, educational, legal and governmental issues.

This is the inaugural lecture in the “Wednesday Night Museums” series offered as part of the 2009-2010 LSA Theme Year, “Meaningful Objects: Museums in the Academy,” and the 11th Annual William R. Farrand Lecture sponsored by the Exhibit Museum. The lecture is co-sponsored by the Native American Studies Program and the Exhibit Museum of Natural History.

Official Website: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/exhibitmuseum