Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum facts for kids
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Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum
(listed as Indian Dormitory) |
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Indian Dormitory in 2011
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Huron St., Mackinac Island, Michigan |
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| Built | 1837 |
| Architect | Oliver Newberry |
| Part of | Mackinac Island (ID66000397) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000408 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | November 5, 1971 |
The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum is a cool art museum located in a very old building called the Indian Dormitory on Mackinac Island, Michigan. This museum shows off art that's all about Mackinac Island. You can see old paintings, maps, and photos from the past. There's also amazing Native American art, including beautiful beaded clothes. Plus, they feature modern art and photos by artists from the area.
This museum is one of many interesting places you can visit in Mackinac Island State Park.
Contents
A Look Back: The Indian Dormitory's Story
The Indian Dormitory is a building made in the Federal style, which was popular back then. The U.S. government paid to build it on Mackinac Island in 1838. It was a new idea to create a place for Native American people to stay when they visited the government office on the island.
For a few years, from 1847 to 1848, a local group called the Sons of Temperance used a room in the dormitory for their weekly meetings. Later, from 1867 until 1960, the building became a public school. Then, from 1966 to 2003, it was a museum about Native American culture.
On July 2, 2010, the building opened its doors again as the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. It is run by Mackinac State Historic Parks. This historic building is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Henry Schoolcraft: An Idea for Native Americans
The Indian Dormitory is connected to Henry Schoolcraft, a U.S. government official who worked with Native American groups on Mackinac Island. Schoolcraft noticed that many Native American cultures focused on hunting and gathering food. He thought that farming could produce more food.
Schoolcraft believed that Native Americans could be convinced to sell some of their hunting lands to the U.S. government. He thought the government could then use some of the money from selling these lands to teach Native Americans how to farm. Other money could help families during this big change.
As an Indian Agent, Schoolcraft saw that Native Americans who traveled to his office often used simple, temporary shelters. He thought a permanent building would be better for them.
The 1836 Treaty: A Big Land Deal
As the Indian Agent on Mackinac Island, Henry Schoolcraft talked with many Native Americans from Michigan Territory. This included members of the Ojibwa and Ottawa tribes. He convinced them to sell a large part of northern Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the government. This agreement was made official in the 1836 Treaty of Washington.
In exchange for this huge amount of land, the government promised a few things. They would pay money (called an annuity) to the Native Americans involved. They also promised to teach farming and other skills, like blacksmithing. Most importantly for this building, they promised to build a dormitory on Mackinac Island. This dormitory would give shelter to Native Americans who came to the island to do business with the Indian Agency.
Because of this promise, the Indian Dormitory was built in 1838.
From Dormitory to Schoolhouse
After the payments from the 1836 treaty ended, Native Americans stopped coming to Mackinac Island in large numbers. So, the Indian Dormitory was no longer needed for its original purpose.
In 1867, the building was changed into a public school for all the children on Mackinac Island. It was called the Thomas W. Ferry School and served as a schoolhouse until 1960. It taught children from many different backgrounds.
By 1960, the old wooden building no longer met modern safety rules for schools. The school building was already surrounded by land belonging to Mackinac Island State Park. In 1963, the Park Commission bought the building.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
Even though some of Henry Schoolcraft's ideas might be seen as unfair today, he was very interested in the Ojibwa religion, mythology, and culture. Schoolcraft collected many local Ojibwa stories. His wife, Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, who was of mixed heritage, often told or translated these stories for him. However, his books usually gave little credit to her.
The famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from Massachusetts studied the Schoolcrafts' work. He used their stories and ideas to write his long poem, The Song of Hiawatha. For many European-Americans at the time, this poem seemed to offer a real look into the spiritual life of "American Indians."
To honor this poem and its view of Ojibwa culture, the Mackinac Island State Park fixed up the inside of the Indian Dormitory in 1964-1965. They turned it into a museum about Native American culture and the Hiawatha poem. The outside of the building was made to look just like it did in 1838. The museum opened to the public in 1966.
Mackinac Island Art Museum
From 1966 until 2003, the Indian Dormitory was a museum. The lower floors showed how the building looked when it was the Indian Dormitory (1838–1846). The top floor had an exhibit about Great Lakes Native American culture. Over time, people started to see the "Hiawatha" theme as an example of cultural appropriation. This means taking parts of a culture without truly understanding or respecting them. So, it was no longer considered right for public display. Schoolcraft and Longfellow had mixed together ideas, names, and stories from different Native American groups. Because of this, the second-floor exhibit closed in 2000, and by 2003, the whole museum was closed.
After the museum closed, the State Park studied what to do with the building next. In late 2008, Mackinac State Historic Parks announced plans to fix up and reopen the Indian Dormitory as a museum. This new museum would focus on art and culture from the Straits of Mackinac area. The inside of the building was completely rebuilt from 2008 to 2010. They added special climate controls to keep the art safe, which is important for preserving old items. The outside was made to look like its original 1838 design. The building reopened on July 2, 2010, as the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum.
The Indian Dormitory is now on the National Register of Historic Places. It also helps make Mackinac Island a National Historic Landmark.
Images for kids
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Indian Dormitory in 2011
