National Museum of the American Indian

In the middle of the hustle and bustle of Lower Manhattan, hidden inside a beautiful historic building in New York City’s oldest park, you’ll find a small but inspiring museum dedicated to the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere. The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), George Gustav Heye Center, a branch of the Smithsonian, is free for visitors and is worth a peek if you are venturing downtown .

The museum is easily accessible from multiple subway lines and is just steps from Wall Street and Battery Park. It is located inside the grand Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, which sits at the tip of Bowling Green. The landmark Beaux Arts-style building, adorned with Corinthian columns and ornate sculptures, opened in 1907 and has housed NMAI since 1994.

Arriving

Once you walk up the stately staircase and go through security (metal detectors are used and bags are checked), grab the kid-friendly Adventure Guide brochure and walk through to the impressive three-story rotunda. Here you can learn about the history of the building and then admire the lovely domed ceiling and murals showing ships in New York Harbor.

The main galleries of the museum are in rooms surrounding the rotunda. The best place to start is at the permanent exhibition called “Infinity of Nations.” In this long hall, there are more than 700 items spanning thousands of years (from 11,000 B.C. all the way to modern times to be exact). The objects were largely collected in the early 20th century by George Heye, an investment banker and the Museum’s namesake. The artifacts are organized (behind kid-friendly glass cases) into 10 different geographic locations found in North, Central and South America.

You’ll see everything from colorful ceremonial clothing and elaborate headdresses to masks and moccasins. There’s also plenty of pottery, weapons, instruments and figurines. The works are very easy to identify thanks to information placards that contain matching illustrations next to their names and descriptions. The headdresses really stood out for me, especially the extremely large one from Brazil made of macaw and heron feathers (you can’t miss it) and the deer dance headdress from Mexico. Make sure to take a moment to admire the amazing colors, wonderful patterns and intricate designs woven into the very fabric of these cultures you see on display.

And More

The two other galleries at NMAI contain temporary exhibitions (check the Museum website to see the latest offerings). “Cerámica de los Ancestros: Central America’s Past Revealed,” which will remain at the museum through January 2017, takes visitors on a journey through seven regions representing Central American cultural areas. The dozens of ceramic pieces made of clay, gold, jade, stone and shell feature varying styles with interesting carvings and drawings. Many of the pieces take on the forms of animals, including monkeys, jaguars and birds. Also of note, the information cards in this exhibition are bilingual (English and Spanish).

In “Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family,” you’ll be dazzled by the skill and creativity of three siblings from Gallup, New Mexico. These talented artists work with traditional materials such as turquoise (a sacred stone to Navajos), coral, opal and silver to make stunning necklaces, bracelets, rings and buckles. The exhibit (which closes in January 2016) explains how the jewelry is a manifestation of the family’s environment and their life experiences. Too bad you can’t try the pieces on!

Kid Highlight

For younger visitors, the highlight of a visit to NMAI will certainly be the Tipi Room on the lower level, where there’s, you guessed it, a big tipi! My 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son immediately ducked inside when they saw it. They also touched the animal hides on display. In the nearby Diker Pavilion, kids can check out “Circle of Dance,” an exhibit showcasing 10 sumptuouslydressed mannequins representing dances from throughout the Americas. A large video screen plays the various dances and there is plenty of room for children to try out the moves themselves.

The National Museum of the American Indian may be competing with many other, more well-known attractions in Lower Manhattan, but it has some amazing artifacts from enduring and intriguing cultures, and it’s not every day you get to take your kids to a Smithsonian Museum.

Andrea White is a writer who lives in Edgemont. She loves making new travel discoveries with her family.