Exhibition artists discuss the history of Plains narrative art and the inspirations behind their contemporary work during the 2024 Folklife Festival.

Chachi artisans look to the NMAI collection to revitalize their ancestral techniques.

An NMAI exhibition offers candid glimpses into Indigenous lives from the beginnings of photography to today.

Fellow fiber artists Velma Kee Craig (Diné) and Helena Hernmarck join Begay to discuss Indigenous weaving traditions and the diversity of textile arts.

Designers reflect on their personal inspirations and motivations for styling and creating clothing and accessories that challenge the boundaries of fashion and expand perceptions of Indigenous cultures

A conversation on the historic collaboration between Ironhorse Quillwork and Gucci that resulted in the custom gowns worn by actress Lily Gladstone (Siksikaitsitapi [Blackfeet]/Nimiipuu [Nez Perce]) at the 96th Academy Awards.

Hawaiian students are revitalizing their Native tongue and an ancient method of storytelling through graceful dance.

Artisans in Hawai‘i are preserving “ulana lauhala,” or the weaving of hala plant leaves into everything from bracelets to sails.

Follow the journey of Lily Gladstone and her porcupine-quill–adorned gowns from the red carpet to the NMAI.

In her Jemez Pueblo home studio, artist Kathleen Wall creates imaginative ceramic figures and paintings that depict a jubilant look into everyday life.

The exhibition juxtaposes historical hides, muslins, and ledger books with more than 50 commissioned contemporary works to explore narrative art among Native nations of the Great Plains.

Watch highlights from a performance recorded live 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC.

Pasatono Orquesta has focused its interest and dedication to research, perform, compose, and promote the musical Mixtec culture. Watch a performance from the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Twin Swinomish artists are carving their own path while carrying on Coast Salish traditions.

The Indigenous music industry is booming, with both traditional and contemporary sounds reaching new audiences across the United States and Canada.

An NMAI exhibition showcases the innovative works of Diné tapestry artist DY Begay, who weaves together her memories and the stunning vistas of her ancestral home on the Navajo Nation.

A tiny polar bear that a young Yupik artist carved decades ago carries a lot of history.

Fiber artist DY Begay's work is an exploration of the artist’s passion for experiencing and interpreting her world.

Indigenous Architects are Reinforcing Cultural Identities on Ancestral Lands and Beyond.

Exhibition of Narrative Art Shows More than a Century of Native Life on the Plains.

A pendant more than 1,000 years old immortalizes Mayan maize god Hun Hunahpu.

A century after photographer Edward S. Curtis photographed American Indian tribes in the western United States and Alaska, his great-grandson is photographing their descendants and recording their stories.

A renowned First Nations artist depicts Native stories through her vibrant Woodlands-style scenes.

Zapotec photographer Citlali Fabián documents the lives of Yalálag residents in Mexico and Los Angeles.

A few dedicated artists are revitalizing the traditional Native Hawaiian protocols and methods of kākau uhi—creating tattoos by tapping intricate designs into skin.

A massive quilt created for and by survivors of violence makes a monumental statement.

This video from the exhibition Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe introduces one of the twentieth century’s most innovative Native American painters.

A Cree designer takes over runways with his stunning feather dresses.

Photographer Kiliii Yüyan captures the moment before an Inuit kayaker attempts to right himself in In Greenland’s Nuuk Harbour.

An NMAI fellow uses the senses to show how dolls can make and preserve memories.

Historians honor Osage sisters who leaped into ballet history.

Filmmakers in the Americas challenge the Hollywood approach while tackling causes of climate change.

Smithsonian exhibition features six Indigenous artists who through their dedication and innovation are carrying their ancestors’ traditions and messages forward.

This exhibition celebrates more than a half century of Shelley Niro’s paintings, photographs, mixed-media works, and films.

The first major retrospective of contemporary artist Robert Houle's work celebrates more than fifty years of his remarkable career.

Native comedian, filmmaker, and producer of the Netflix show “Spirit Rangers,” Joey Clift (Cowlitz) looks back on how things have changed since his childhood and what he hopes the future holds for Indigenous film and television.

Celebrate the sound of Guatemala’s national instrument with performances by Marimba Linda Xelajú, Marimba Mi Pequeña Internacional, and Marimba Maya Awal.

Teachers examined why commonly used imagery and language about Native peoples are detrimental to student understanding of Native histories and cultures.

In Session 2 of this summer series, contemporary graphic artists Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo) and Dr. Lee Francis IV (Laguna Pueblo) discussed how comics and graphic novels can be used to tell difficult and complex stories.

Tribal nations are leading the way to self-representation in museums.

An artist creates a legacy of vivid works with colors that propel images across canvases.

This exhibition in Washington, DC, presents the contemporary art of Robert Houle.

How are Indigenous street artists using mural painting, graffiti, billboards, and other mediums to build community and draw attention to issues meaningful to them? Program in English with English and Spanish captions. | Programa en inglés con subtítulos en inglés y español.

Contemporary artist Robert Houle (Saulteaux Anishinaabe), landscape artist Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee Nation), and the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Curator of Indigenous Art Wanda Nanibush (Anishinaabe) discuss Houle’s 50-year career.

Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the Apache Crown Dancers (White Mountain Apache) from Whiteriver, Arizona, celebrate the summer solstice through song and dance.

Whether a community gathering or an international competition, the powwow has been a way for Indigenous peoples across North America to strengthen bonds and preserve their diverse cultures.

An NMAI exhibition features the candid art of Six Nations Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist, photographer and filmmaker Shelley Niro—works that shine a harsh spotlight on society yet provide a healing outlet for her people.

A Hopi pottery maker discovers her grandmother’s pot and inspiration in the NMAI’s Cultural Resources Center.

Celebrate the talented Indigenous women from FX's hit television series Reservation Dogs, in a conversation with one of the female writers/directors and the actresses who play the comedic and sassy aunties.

Join sculptor, mask maker, and performance artist Zarco Guerrero as he paints a calaca, or a Day of the Dead mask.

Learn how emerging filmmakers are using film as a force for activism. Program in English with English and Spanish captions. | Programa en inglés con subtítulos en inglés y español.

Through monochromatic imagery, Nīa MacKnight highlights the power of the spirit within times of social unrest.

This livestreamed event examined the work of photographers who are lending their voices to defining what it means to be Indigenous today.

A new NMAI exhibition spotlights the bold, abstract artworks of Saulteaux Anishinaabe artist Robert Houle.

Mohawk artist Skawennati’s digital movie presents a futuristic creation story of our world.

Diné photographer Eugene Tapahe and the dancers of the Art Heals: Jingle Dress Project have journeyed to national and state parks across the United States to honor their ancestors, bless the land and offer prayers for those in need.

The artists featured in the museum’s online exhibition Ancestors Know Who We Are gathered for a discussion about Black-Native identity and its expression through art.

A print of a sleigh being pulled by a reindeer created by Iñupiaq artist Carl Hank captures a complicated convergence of histories.

Donna Beaver’s Tlingit and Tsimshian cultures have inspired her powerful poems and imagery.

Quetzal is a bilingual rock group with roots in the cultural and social justice landscape of East Los Angeles. Its goal is to create great music that tells the stories of marginalized people's struggles and resistance.

A conversation with young Indigenous actors and playwrights who are reimagining Native representation on the stage.

RAYMI (meaning “feast” or “celebration” in Quechua) reflects the group’s passion for its Andean roots in its music, which combines traditional Peruvian instruments, such as zampoñas, mosceños, quenas, and tarkas, with contemporary instruments.

Jennie Ross Cobb, the first known Native American female photographer, captured some of the earliest images of life in a Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory.

Indigenous photographer Dugan Aguilar created rare images of Native communities in California that celebrate their traditions, resilience and contemporary lives.

Sičáŋǧu Lakota artist Dyani White Hawk’s screen prints honor the strength, leadership and care-taking roles of Native women and veterans.

The work of three Indigenous photojournalists are featured in “Developing Stories: Native Photojournalists in the Field.” Find out the story behind one of the captivating images featured in this exhibition.

NMAI’s Cultural Resources Center takes on a monumental endeavor to extend the life of thousands of textiles and make them feel more at home.

Heidi McKinnon set up shop to support and share the beautiful, handmade works of Indigenous artisans.

Learn how science fiction inspires this artist and get a glimpse of his fantastic "Recon Watchmen" characters premiering in Santa Fe this year.

Aymara photographer Sara Aliaga Ticona captures the essence of Bolivian women in her stunning images.

For thousands of years, Native Hawaiians have traveled the Pacific in traditional voyaging canoes.

This writer weaves words of Indigenous experiences with contemporary contemplation and intellect.

An exhibition at the NMAI in New York features the captivating works of Yanktonai Dakota painter and educator Oscar Howe, who fractured stereotypes of what defined Native art and inspired generations of Native artists.

Images in the Smithsonian archives of Zitkala-Ša show how this accomplished Yankton Sioux writer, violinist, composer and advocate for Indigenous rights and women’s suffrage lived in two very different cultures.

Chavez maintains her cultural and communal ties while working in Washington DC.

This workshop series used the museum’s Essential Understandings framework and artworks by contemporary Indigenous women artists to help teachers deepen their knowledge of Indigenous women’s roles and contributions.

Preston Singletary's artworks feature themes of transformation, animal spirits, and shamanism through elegant blown glass forms and mystical sand-carved Tlingit designs.

Native filmmakers and writers discuss all aspects of Indigenous storytelling from their own experiences.

“Molly of Denali” writer Vera Starbard (Tlingit/Dena’ina) talks about the importance of distinguishing cultural appreciation from appropriation.

Indigenous directors, writers and actors are changing the narrative of American television and film.

The explosive video game industry now offers a glimpse into authentic Indigenous cultures.

This award-winning Yup’ik meta choreographer doesn’t simply break the conventions of contemporary dance; she ignores them.

Preston Singletary’s innovative “Raven and the Box of Daylight” exhibition and other works have altered the glass art movement and brought North Pacific Coast cultures to light.

While some traditional Native games have been mostly pastimes, others taught life-saving skills and helped avert conflicts.

Teachers are introduced to children’s books by Native writers, criteria for evaluating children’s books about Native peoples, and suggestions for using books at story time or for more in-depth cross-disciplinary studies.

“The Story of Cartoneria Tradicional” (The Story of Papier-mâché) follows artisans Ana Miriam Castañeda Montes de Oca and Martín Ramírez as they make compelling figures known as calaveras (laughing skeletons).

In “Living Ghosts and Mysterious Monsters,” a Native storyteller shares ancient and contemporary scary stories.

Emil Her Many Horses, an Oglala Lakota artist and NMAI curator, creates an award-winning work to honor those who served in the Vietnam War.

Emil Her Many Horses (Oglala Lakota), museum curator and historian, highlights objects in the museum's collection that were created to honor the American flag.

One man’s intimate look at his New Mexico pueblo, its people and surrounding homelands.

This three-part series explains why the lūʻau holds a unique position within Hawaiian celebrations and significant events.

Acclaimed artists Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Salish/Cree/Shoshone) and Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee) discuss their work, their distinguished careers, and their thoughts on the current state of Native American contemporary art.

Gene Tagaban (Tlingit), also known as “One Crazy Raven,” is a teller of stories that teach, entertain and heal. Gene regales listeners with stories from his grandmother about the trickster Raven.

Women have created the majority of Native art, but their individual creativity and influence has often been ignored by the art world. The exhibition Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists could help change that.

A buffalo horn belt created by Lakota artists Kevin and Valerie Pourier honors the strength and perseverance of women activists.

Mandy Van Heuvelen, a cultural interpreter coordinator at the National Museum of the American Indian, shares the story of contemporary Native artist Nora Naranjo Morse. Morse created the sculptures that sit outside of the museum in Washington, D.C.

A multidisciplinary artist with roots in Algonquin, Quebecois, and French culture discusses her background, artists she admires, the challenges contemporary Native artists face, and the hopes she and her colleagues have for their art.

Five remarkable filmmakers discuss their work, motivations, and future plans.

Chicago's Sones de México Ensemble performs a musical tribute inspired by Native ancestors and influenced by the present-day social movements of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

An overwhelming percentage of the ancient and historic American Indian art in museums, both across the United States and abroad, was produced by women.

Seminole/Apache artist Pena Bonita's art attracts fans across the generations.

In celebrating the work of Kay WalkingStick (Cherokee), the symposium and exhibition offer a fresh perspective on American art.

This ten-part series documents NMAI's first commissioned sculpture by Pueblo artist Nora Naranjo-Morse (Santa Clara).