The line to enter the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian stretched out the door Monday as museumgoers celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which honors Indigenous American histories and cultures.
The museum offered free admission Monday during normal business hours.
Among the attendees was Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) who joined a closed event upstairs.
Kim Vigue, executive director of the Mitchell Museum and a former employee of the Department of the Interior, said Duckworth fought for Indigenous causes in the U.S. Senate.
Many people, including Duckworth, were drawn to the museum for its emphasis on storytelling and living testimonies, said Vigue, an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation and descendant of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin.
“Our visitors interact with native people from this area,” Vigue said. “People can see native people in a contemporary light versus museums that tend to present them as relics of the past.”
The museum’s collections contain artifacts such as clothing, tools and art from Indigenous peoples across North America. There are three collections currently on display: A Regional Tour of American Indian Cultures; No Rest: The Epidemic of Stolen Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits; and the St. Kateri Youth Mural.
A land acknowledgment was given to honor the Council of Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations, who originally resided in what is now Evanston, including the land where Northwestern and the Mitchell Museum sit.
Vigue said it is important to acknowledge that Indigenous people in this area still exist in the same spaces. Storytelling and oral tradition can accomplish that goal.
On Monday night, the museum co-sponsored its first ever Indigenous Peoples’ Day Powwow at Evanston Township High School, marking a step toward the museum’s goal of deepening engagement with contemporary Indigenous communities, Vigue said.
A powwow is a celebration of Indigenous culture that typically features dancing, traditional foods and spiritual gatherings, according to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage.
At Monday night’s Evanston City Council meeting, Mayor Daniel Biss also acknowledged the Mitchell Museum’s work on the Powwow, calling it “a really wonderful event.” He noted that the city is “dedicated to cultivating and sustaining partnerships with the city’s indigenous institutions, such as the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.”
Joseph Gackstetter, director of development at the Mitchell Museum, said it was important to increase visibility for Indigenous people in every community. Organizing events like the powwow, with Indigenous leaders at the forefront, is crucial, he said.
The museum looks to continue its commitment to uplifting Indigenous voices with An Evening of Storytelling, an event in partnership with NU’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research from 6-7:30 p.m. Friday.
Increasing opportunities for anyone to engage with the local Indigenous community provides much more cultural awareness, Gackstetter said.
“I think there’s a lot to be said, to be a visitor in a museum and not just see art, artifacts or objects,“ Gackstetter said.
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