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ON THE COVER
Welcome Home!
The National Museum of the American Indian Opens at Last
Welcome Home! The National Museum of the American Indian opens at last. The beautiful new NMAI opens in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 21, presenting the world with an in-depth look at the history and ongoing culture, arts and lifeways of the Native peoples of the Americas. Gracing our cover is a bronze sculpture— ”Reverie” by Allan Houser, 1981, included in an opening exhibition (©Anna Marie Houser/photo by Ernest Amoroso); a rendering of the new museum by Elizabeth Day; a detail of the official grand opening artwork by Tony Abeyta; a photo of the Native Nations Procession on the Mall in fall 2002 by Scott Davis; and a photo of the building’s southwest corner by Maxwell MacKenzie. Images courtesy NMAI.

FEATURES

A Facilities Overview
Take a tour of the stunning new museum opening in September in Washington, D.C. By Gary Avey.

Opening-Week Activities
A calendar of the inaugural events, plus visitor information.

Leading the Way
A conversation with NMAI Founding Director Rick West. By Gary Avey.

Allan Houser and George Morrison
Two icons of American Indian art form the heart of the new museum's opening exhibitions. By Dr. Gregory Schaaf Cherokee.
NMAI's Public and Professional Training Programs: Notes and details.

All That Glitters: Precious Jewelry
Native jewelers have leapt over the boundaries of traditional styles and materials to create dazzling new forms using precious metals and stones, as we see in this look at the movement’s history and brief profiles on more than 20 leading artisans: Jesse Monongya, Sonwai, Larry Golsh, Carl and Irene Clark, Myron Panteah, Don Supplee, Al Nez, Harvey Begay, Dina Huntinghorse, Lyndon Tsosie, Andrew Redhorse Alvarez, the Gaussoin family, Bill Helin, Kenneth Johnson, Vernon Haskie, Roy Talahaftewa and Victoria Adams. Also, where to shop and what to look for. By Dr. Gregory Schaaf (Cherokee).

Creative Journeys
Meet two Best of Class winners at the 2003 Santa Fe Indian Market: painter Shonto Begay (Navajo) and sculptor Tim Washburn (Navajo). By RoseMary Diaz (Santa Clara Pueblo).

Lifetimes of Artistic Excellence
We visit with two of the 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award honorees selected by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts: potter Dextra Quotskuyva (Hopi) and weaver Clara Sherman (Navajo). By Carole Nez (Apache/Diné).

Native Cinema Showcase: Refocusing Indian Images
This annual late-August film festival in Santa Fe is gaining renown as a great venue for cutting-edge films produced largely by Native talent. By Jason Silverman.

Special Delivery!
The U.S. Postal Service has a long and colorful history of featuring Native designs, art and historical figures on stamps, including a brand-new series. By Deborah Paddison.

History: Ely Parker
Ely Parker (Seneca) was a remarkable man by any measure, yet this lawyer, engineer, brigadier general, secretary to Ulysses S. Grant and first Native director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs is largely unknown. By John Christian Hopkins (Narragansett).

DEPARTMENTS

Letters
We take a few bows over our coverage of powwows in the previous issue, as well as clear up some confusion over a powwow we suggested folks visit in New York.

Viewpoint
Preserving the past while raising the curtain on a more promising future, cultural centers and art museums run by Natives are a welcome addition on the world’s cultural stage. By Della Warrior (Otoe-Missouria).

On the Wind
Loss of red and yellow cedar trees imperils traditional Northwest carving; and new animated film Raven Steals the Sun goes into full production. Plus, other important news in the arts, education, the environment, business, politics, sports, health and other realms of life in Indian Country. By Daniel Gibson.

Happening
Join us as we check out the biggest powwow east of the Mississippi, Schemitzun in Connecticut, and the Northern Plains Indian Market in South Dakota. Plus, details on other special events of Native interest across North America. By Daniel Gibson.

Spirit of the Harvest
Keeping alive the Native crops and recipes of the pueblos of northern New Mexico has been the calling of the Casados family, whose recipe for red, white and blue tamales will have your mouth watering. By Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs.

Galleries
The Indian art world turns to Santa Fe in August, as do we with a profile of Kiva Fine Art. Also, brief looks at other Native-oriented galleries throughout the continent. By Russ Tall Chief (Osage).

Museums
One of Canada’s finest museums, the Museum of Anthropology of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, hosts a superb exhibition of the work of acclaimed Haida artist Robert Davidson. Also, previews of other shows at major museums coast to coast. By Wendy Weston (Diné).

Books
We delve into the realm of fine art in Allan Houser: An American Master by W. Jackson Rushing III, and current history in Coyote Warrior: One Man, Three Tribes, and the Trial That Forged a Nation by Paul VanDevelder. Plus recently published books of interest. By Deborah Krol (Salinan/Esselen).

Film & Video
Join us for a screening of the notable film Black Cloud, written and directed by Rick Schroder and starring Native talents Eddie Spears, Russell Means, Julia Jones, Tim Sampson and Nathaniel Arcand, as well as country/western star Tim McGraw and Peter Greene. By Daniel Gibson.

Music
Singer and song maker Jay Begaye (Navajo) found his calling in music, producing several acclaimed solo powwow recordings that soothe the soul and heal the spirit. Also, brief reviews of new works by Clark Tenakhongva (Hopi) and Vince Redhouse (Navajo), and a compilation of Ojibwe hand drum songs. By j. poet.

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