The much-anticipated debut of the National Museum of the American (NMAI) on the Mall in Washington, D.C. takes place on Tuesday, September 21 with opening ceremonies, a “Native Nations” procession, exhibitions and a six-day festival. Located directly in front of the U.S. Capitol, the 250,000-square-foot museum will be the home of one of the largest and most diverse collections of Indian art and artifacts in the world.

Showcasing objects representing a 10,000-year time span – from ancient pre-Columbian era through the beginning of the twenty-first century – the opening exhibitions will capture the vast diversity of the Indians of the Americas as told from their own perspective.

NMAI is the result of collaboration with Indian peoples in order to build a museum that best represents a Native point of view, a museum whose design comes directly from numerous consultations with tribal elders and representatives over the past decade.

Native communities from the hemisphere have been invited to take place in the Native Nations procession, from 8 a.m. until noon, on the National Mall just prior to the opening ceremonies. The route will lead from the front of the Smithsonian Castle to the main stage set up in front of the U.S. Capitol and the procession is open to Natives and non-Natives alike. It will be led by the Hopi Nation Honor Guard in memory of Lori Piestewa, the first American Indian woman to die in combat during the Iraq War.

Museum Director W. Richard West, Jr., Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence M. Small, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye will be among those giving remarks at the opening, followed by cultural presentations and a welcoming ceremony. The museum will then be officially open to the public, beginning a six-day festival that is free. The festival will pay tribute to some of the most beloved Native performers, highlighting dance, music and storytelling from indigenous communities. More than 300 artists from 50 tribal nations will take part and the festivities will include traditional foods, a marketplace and activities and demonstrations for children.

The idea of a national museum dates to 1980 and discussions between the Smithsonian Institution and the existing Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation in New York City. In 1987 several important events took place. The Heye collection of 800,000, one of the largest in the world, was committed to the Washington museum project along a formal relationship between the New York City museum and the one planned within the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. At the same time Sen. Inouye introduced a bill to establish a National Museum of the American Indian in the nation’s capitol. The legislation was signed into law in 1989. In 1994 the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal nation pledged $10 million to the project. The groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for NMAI took place in September, 1999.

In consultation with Native communities throughout the Americas, five major inaugural exhibitions are being developed that will feature approximately 7,000 objects from the world renowned collection of more than 800,000 works of archaeological and ethnographic significance.

“Our Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World” features tribal philosophies and worldviews. The exhibition is topped with a star-filled canopy to reflect the night sky. Objects on display will include beadwork, baskets and pottery from the Mapuche (Chile), Lakota (South Dakota), Quechua (Peru), Yup’ik (Alaska), Q’eq’chi Maya (Guatemala), Santa Clara Pueblo (New Mexico), Anishinaabe (Winnepeg), and Hupa (California) communities.

“Our Peoples: Giving Voice to Our Histories” focuses on historical events told from a Native point of view. This exhibition features the Eastern Band of Cherokee (North Carolina), Tohono O’ohdam (Arizona), Kiowa (Oklahoma), Tapirape (Brazil), Huichol (Mexico), Ka’apor (Brazil), Seminole (Florida), and Nahua (Mexico) communities. It includes a spectacular “wall of gold,” featuring gold figurines, dating back to 1490, along with European swords, coins, and crosses made from melted gold.

“Our Lives: Contemporary Life and Identities” explores the cultural, social, linguistic and political aspects of Native communities and people in the 21st century and will include over 300 objects from the Chicago Indian Center, Igloolik (Canada), Saint Laurent Métis (Canada), Campo Band of Kumeyaay (California), Kalinago (Carib) (Dominican Republic), Yakama Nation (Washington State), Pamunkey (Virginia) and Kahnawake (Canada) communities.

“Native Modernism: The Art of George Morrison and Allan Houser” will feature the work of George Morrison (Grand Portage Band of the Chippewa) and Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache) and brings together 200 of the best works from each artist’s remarkable career.

“Window on Collections: Many Hands, Many Voices” features nearly 3,500 objects from the museum’s collection that highlight the breadth and diversity of Native American objects.