First Americans Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | American Indian Cultural Center and Museum |
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| Type | Cultural |
| Visitors | 200,000+ (2022) |
The First Americans Museum (FAM) is a special place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. It's a museum that teaches about the history and cultures of Native American people. It used to be called the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. The museum officially opened its doors on September 18, 2021.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The idea for the First Americans Museum began a long time ago. People wanted a place to celebrate Oklahoma's Native American heritage. The project started in the 1990s.
Construction on the museum began in 2006. However, work stopped in 2012 because the state ran out of money. Building started again in 2019. This happened after Oklahoma City took over the project. Many groups and people, including the Chickasaw Nation, helped with money.
What the Museum Does
The main goal of the First Americans Museum is to share knowledge. It wants to teach everyone about the many different cultures and histories of the Native American Nations in Oklahoma today. The museum also highlights their important contributions and how strong they are.
Who Works at the Museum
The museum has a team of dedicated people. As of July 2024, Dr. Kelli Mosteller, from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is the Executive Director and CEO. Shoshana Wasserman, from the Muscogee people, is the Deputy Director.
The Chief Curator is Heather Ahtone, who is Choctaw and Chickasaw. A curator helps create the exhibits. Loretta Barrett Oden, from the Potawatomi people, is a culinary architect. She works in the museum's restaurant, called Thirty Nine Restaurant. Greg Wadley, from the Choctaw Nation, leads the museum's Board of Directors.
The Museum Building and Grounds
The museum building is very large, covering 12,000 square feet. It was designed by Johnson Fain Architects and Hornbeek, Blatt Architects. When visitors arrive, they see the Remembrance Gate. This gate has two tall, leaning walls made of Mesquabuck stone. The name of a Potawatomi Chief, Mes’kwah-buk, is carved into the stone. His name means "the color of the sky at sunrise and sunset."
Visitors then enter The Hall of People. This hall looks like a traditional Wichita Grasshouse. The Wichita people were the first inhabitants of this area. A huge glass dome is held up by ten stone columns. Each column represents the ten miles Native American people traveled each day during their forced removal to Indian Territory. The different types of stone show the many different tribal groups who came to the area.
Behind the museum, there is a large, semi-circular earthen mound. This mound honors the ancient mound-builder civilizations. Inside the mound, there is a sunken area. This area is used as an outdoor Festival Grounds for events.
Museum Exhibits
The First Americans Museum has two main permanent galleries. It also has a special space for temporary exhibits that change over time.
OKLA HOMMA Gallery
The OKLA HOMMA gallery is on the first floor. It tells the stories of the 39 federally recognized tribes of Oklahoma. The exhibit starts with their creation stories. It then covers the difficult times of forced removal by Europeans and the United States. Finally, it shows current issues and ways of life for these tribes. This gallery uses animation, audio recordings, and interactive technology. It also displays modern artworks and historical objects.
WINIKO: Life of an Object Gallery
The WINIKO: Life of an Object gallery is on the second floor. This exhibit is the result of a two-year project (2023-2025). The museum worked with the National Museum of the American Indian. Their goal was to bring objects back to the families and communities they came from. This process is called rematriation.
The exhibit features 76 objects from the collections of Mark R. Harrington, an archaeologist from the 1800s. These objects are on loan from the National Museum of the American Indian. The gallery also includes new artworks created for the exhibit. Dr. Heather Ahtone and Welana Queton helped create this exhibit. They worked with many representatives and Knowledge Keepers from the 39 tribes.
Awards and Recognitions
The First Americans Museum has received many awards for its work.
- 2024: The American Alliance of Museums gave it an award for promoting diversity and inclusion.
- 2024: It received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for its "WINIKO: Life of an Object" project.
- 2023: It won a GOOD DESIGN award from the Chicago Athenaeum Museum.
- 2023: The Urban Land Institute (ULI) gave it a National Award for Best Public Facility.
- 2023: It won an Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Award for Best Arts & Humanities Organization.
- 2023: The American Association for State & Local History (AASLH) gave it an Award of Excellence.
- 2022: It received the Engineering News Record (ENR) Award of Excellence for Best Public Facility in the United States.
- 2022: It won an Oklahoma RedBud Award for Outstanding New Attraction.
- 2022: The EPA Region 6 gave it an award for Best Brownfield Project.
- 2022: The Oklahoma Museums Association gave it awards for its "Okla Homma" exhibit and "WINIKO: Life of an Object" publication.
- 2022: It won an Anthem Gold Award for the "Okla Homma" exhibition.
- 2022: It also won the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Philanthropic Vision Award.
See also
- Center of the American Indian, another Native-American led museum in Oklahoma City, active from 1978 to 1992.
