National Museum of the American Indian

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

On Wednesday, June 11, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) will host a special “In Language There is Life: I ka ‘ōlelo nō ke ola” Showcase. This showcase will feature middle and high school students from Hawai‘i who completed a National History Day project in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and qualified at the Hawaiʻi affiliate contest. These students were invited to Washington, D.C. to share their work with a national audience. Their projects show perspectives and understanding vital to their culture and support larger community efforts that give life to Indigenous languages.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.

Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Families are invited to an interactive story time on the second Saturday of each month* featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's teaching collection, such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials, which can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. All are welcome. Recommended for visitors ages 3–9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

*Schedule subject to change.

Families are invited to an interactive story time on the second Saturday of each month* featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. All are welcome. Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

*Schedule subject to change.


Image: Photo by Matailong Du for the National Museum of the American Indian.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.

Many Native communities of the Northeast celebrate the harvest of strawberries in June and July. Learn about the significance and cultural traditions surrounding the strawberry for Indigenous communities and then create a paper strawberry to take home. All ages welcome.

*Children 18 and under should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Watch a feature documentary that traces the storied journey of Indigenous masks from the far reaches of Turtle Island (North America) into the hands of European Surrealists, influencing the work and worldview of some of the most well-known modern artists and writers of all time including Max Ernst, André Breton, Roberto Matta and Joan Miró – all while following the dramatic quest to return a mask that was brutally stolen from the Kwakwa̱ka̱ ʼwakw people on Canada’s northwest coast over a century ago. Part caper, part road trip, part spiritual journey, So Surreal: Behind the Masks follows Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond (Reel Injun, Red Fever) as he travels coast-to-coast and across the Atlantic and back, gradually piecing together this groundbreaking global story of influence, reconnection and restitution. Directors: Neil Diamond (Cree) and Joanne Robertson, Canada, 2024, 88 min.

Join directors Neil Diamond and Joanne Robertson, and Maria Galban, the museum's Collections Documentation Manager, for a post-screening discussion and Q&A. 

Image: Ossie Kairaiuak (Yup’ik) of the musical group Pamyua dances a mask carved by Yup’ik artist Drew Michael. Photo by Glauco Bermudez, © Rezolution Pictures Inc.

The Americas Film Festival New York (TAFFNY) is a film festival that showcases premieres, award winning films, and classic works about the cultures and peoples of the Americas. The festival is a project of the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education of City College of New York (The City University of New York - CUNY), in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute of NY and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. This screening is presented in conjunction with the closing night of The Americas Film Festival NY. 

This program is made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Presented in collaboration with The Americas Film Festival New York.

Celebrate the start of summer with the Smithsonian! The National Museum of the American Indian will be open late with activities for all ages throughout the day, along with performances and gallery talks.

The imagiNATIONS Activity Center and Espresso Bar will be open until 8 PM, and the Roanoke Museum Store will be open until 10 PM. Stay tuned for the full schedule of events!

Visit si.edu/solsticesaturday for more information as it becomes available.

Many Native communities of the Northeast celebrate the spring harvest of strawberries in June and July. The celebration often coincides with the full moon. Learn about the significance and cultural traditions surrounding the strawberry for Indigenous communities and then create a paper strawberry to take home. All ages welcome.

*Children 18 and under should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Many Native communities of the Northeast celebrate the spring harvest of strawberries in June and July. The celebration often coincides with the full moon. Learn about the significance and cultural traditions surrounding the strawberry for Indigenous communities and then create a paper strawberry to take home. All ages welcome.

*Children 18 and under should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Enjoy tribal songs from Alaska to Florida with Dennis Zotigh (Kiowa/Isanti Dakota/Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo) in the Potomac Atrium. At the end of the 30-minute presentation, visitors are encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the museum and Indigenous culture, past and present. Presentations may be canceled without prior notice.

Many Native communities of the Northeast celebrate the harvest of strawberries in June and July. Learn about the significance and cultural traditions surrounding the strawberry for Indigenous communities and then create a paper strawberry to take home. All ages welcome.

*Children 18 and under should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Many Native communities of the Northeast celebrate the spring harvest of strawberries in June and July. The celebration often coincides with the full moon. Learn about the significance and cultural traditions surrounding the strawberry for Indigenous communities and then create a paper strawberry to take home. All ages welcome.

*Children 18 and under should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Families are invited to an interactive story time featuring a children’s book by a Native author, illustrator, or created in collaboration with an Indigenous community. They will have the opportunity to engage with objects from the museum's Teaching Collection such as photographs, textiles, or natural materials that can deepen their understanding of the community represented in the story, along with a craft or other activity. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

Recommended for visitors ages 3-9 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Many Native communities of the Northeast celebrate the spring harvest of strawberries in June and July. The celebration often coincides with the full moon. Learn about the significance and cultural traditions surrounding the strawberry for Indigenous communities and then create a paper strawberry to take home. All ages welcome.

*Children 18 and under should be accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.

Designed for early learners (ages 0-2), their caregivers, and families, this drop-in program offers young visitors the opportunity to enjoy a book by a Native author or illustrator read by a Museum Educator, engage in free play and sensory enrichment, and participate in other hands-on learning. 

*Due to limited capacity in our spaces, tickets may be needed to enter the Activity Center and therefore the Story room (limited to 25 persons max). Please see staff at the entrance desk of the imagiNATIONS Activity Center on Level 3.

**Recommended for visitors ages 0-2 years old accompanied by an adult caregiver.