Into the National Mall American Indian Museum

Mona had to be in her office Friday so I headed off for the American Indian Museum. The girl at the desk sold me a Smart Trip Card for seniors for $12.00. You swipe it upon entering the bus and when entering and exiting the Metro. She provided a bus schedule for riding the bus to the College Park Station and for getting back from the station to the RV park. It was a long bus ride. We got to a place where almost all the passengers were exiting. I asked the driver if that was where I catch the yellow or green line. He nodded. I did not want to get on going the right way so I asked the booth which was the correct train to take either the yellow or green line toward the National Mall. He informed me this was the red line. I asked, “How do I get the green or yellow line.” I appeared to be one of those clueless tourist so He came out of the booth and patiently marked my map turning it in the proper direction and repeated several times take the train in that direction. Go 4 stops. Get off and take either the green or yellow line toward Archives go one stop get off at Archives.

Like all the museums in DC, the American Indian museum is impossible to see in one day. I spent over 6 hours. I wanted to take pictures inside which is permissible as long as you don’t use a flash. Every time I tried my flash popped up. So I a got almost none. At one point I joined a tour guide. She was Navajo probably in her early 20s. It was less than 30 minutes. The objective was dispelling the common stereotypes like the head dress and Pocahontas’ story. The design of the building was done by a Canadian Indian architect. The curves and roundness inside and out reflect American Indian structure. The entrance to the museum faces the east. She related that all Indians houses or teepees ect. always have entrances facing the morning sun - the east. If I knew that it did not impact me before. For all my life I have always wanted my bedroom window to catch the morning sun.

I asked if she could point me to any curation from either O’odham or Apache. She said no exhibit was made to emphasize any particular group. I found many exhibits that displayed a whole life style of a given people. Of what I saw the plains Indians dominated the North American part. I found one reference to Apaches. There are none of the O’odham. Among the most beautiful exhibits are the Inca and Maya of South America.

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Approaching the American Indian Museum

View from the mall not from the East

The trip back to Cherry Hill was easier and faster. I took the yellow line 12 stops to College Park Station. The bus ride was many less stops and went fast.