OUT & ABOUT The First Americans Museum was designed around the four cardinal directions. The East Gate aligns with the sunrise of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.
A Storied Destination Opening in September, the First Americans Museum connects past to present B Y K I M B E R LY B U R K
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Heritage Center, said the museum “will be a great space for Oklahoma’s non-Native residents and visitors to understand the diversity of Nations and cultures represented in Oklahoma. This is an important story that deserves the dedicated space and expertise that FAM will provide.” Tribal origin stories will be presented in the Tribal Nations Gallery, with artifacts featured in the Mezzanine Gallery. There’s a 175-seat theater for film screenings and poetry readings, a store with one-of-a-kind gift items, a full-service restaurant and a café. The museum architecture was designed around the four cardinal directions, said Ginny Underwood, a Comanche Nation member who is the museum’s marketing and communications manager. The East Gate will align precisely with the sunrise on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The Hall of the People, a large glass dome visible from I-40, represents a Wichita grass lodge. An earthen mound pays tribute to the mound-builder civilizations, and the walk to the top of the mound represents life’s journey. The festival grounds will host powwows, stickball games, concerts and cultural festivals. The Trail of Tears and all the journeys that brought Indigenous people to what was then Indian Territory are marked by the Remembrance Gate, said Wasserman, who is from the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town of the Muscogee Nation. Loretta Oden, who with her son founded the Corn Dance Café in Santa Fe, is the Native foods consultant for the restaurant and coffee shop.
This cultural center and museum will serve as a dynamic venue where tribal voices celebrate Native American culture and contributions to our state." - CHICKASAW NATION GOV. BILL ANOATUBBY
The galleries in the First Americans Museum will tell the genesis stories of the tribes and help visitors understand what it means to be a First American in Oklahoma today, curators said.
COURTESTY OF FIRST AMERICANS MUSEUM
he word “stories” is heard often when tribal chiefs talk about the soon-to-open First Americans Museum (FAM). “Through this museum, we carry forward our stories and culture for the benefit of all Americans, today and in the future,” said Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby. “Located in the heart of America and in the home of 39 federally recognized tribes, this museum is the perfect place at the perfect time to truly tell our stories with authenticity and respect,” said David Hill, Muscogee Nation principal chief. The museum is scheduled to open Sept. 18 near Interstates 35 and 40 in Oklahoma City. Senior Curator Heather Ahtone, who is Chickasaw and Choctaw, said all the tribes were consulted for the opening exhibition and will be represented with at least three objects within the 140 borrowed from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. “We know the community has been waiting on this for a long time,” said Shoshana Wasserman, deputy director of the museum. “This is way more than a job for me. This is our culture. This is my life’s work.” “We expect the Choctaw people and other Native American tribes to be proud of this must-see destination,” said Choctaw Chief Gary Batton. “This museum is an attraction for the world to see.” Kelli Mosteller, director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural
