Smoky Hill Museum
The Smoky Hill Museum is one of the first venues in the country to host Americans, a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition touring the nation.
Based on an exhibition of the same name at the National Museum of the American Indian and curated by Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche) and Cécile R. Ganteaume, the Americans exhibition uncovers the many ways American Indian images, names, and stories have been part of the nation’s identity since before the country began.
American Indians are less than one percent of the population, yet images of American Indians are everywhere. From imagery on commercial products and professional and high school sports mascots, to classic Westerns and episodes of Seinfeld and South Park, we are surrounded by American Indian imagery. American Indian names are everywhere, too, from state, city, and street names to the Tomahawk missile.
Americans uses historical photographs and objects representative of those in the Smithsonian's collection to tell their stories and it explores the lasting legacies of Pocahontas, the 1830 Indian Removal Act, and the 1876 Battle of Little Big Horn.
In addition, “The Americans tour provides an opportunity for Kansans to tell their stories alongside a dynamic national exhibition from the Smithsonian,” said Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas executive director. At the Smoky Hill Museum, we will be telling the story of the Battle of Indian Rock in conjunction with the Americans.
The Smithsonian exhibition comes to Kansas through an exclusive partnership between Humanities Kansas and the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program.
The Kansas tour of “Americans” is made possible by support from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas Foundation and the Sunflower Foundation. Special thanks to our generous local sponsors: Dean and Debra Lewis