Public Museum Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Milwaukee Public Museum. Photo taken March 8th, 2017 by Jeramey Jannene.

In honor of Native American Heritage month, the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) will offer free admission to Wisconsin tribal members and special programming about Native American heritage during the month of November.

On Thursday, Nov. 2, the museum is planning a series of special programs on Native American heritage and culture. Thursday day is also the museum’s monthly free-admission day, sponsored by Kohl’s.

The programming will include the presentation of a collection of ledgers kept by Plains Indians depicting their daily lives in the 19th century; a discussion by artist Jesus Avila of his mural “We the People, All Nations;” and a handful of presentations by MPM educators on the birchbark canoe-making and indigenous crops like wild-rice and Oneida white corn.

Beginning at 11 a.m. every Saturday in November, docents will give tours on the Indigenous Foods of North America.

“Given our vast Native American collection and our continued collaborative work with tribal nations across the state, it is important MPM highlights Native American heritage in November and all year long,” said Ellen Censky, MPM president and CEO in a statement. “Thanks to generous support from Potawatomi Casino Hotel, we hope these events and promotions increase awareness and understanding about Native Americans’ diverse experiences—both past and present—and honor the many ways Native peoples enrich our communities.”

On Thursday, Nov. 9, MPM Anthropology Curator Dawn Scher Thomae will give a lecture on the museum’s Native American collections and federal law and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The lecture is titled “Returning to the People: How MPM Works with Indigenous Groups to Bring Their History and Ancestors Home.” The museum has a large number of Native American items in its collections, some of which tribes have begun reclaiming.

The museum maintains year-round Native American exhibits, including “A Tribute to Survival,” “Native Games” and “Southwest.”