Native Americans

I haven’t been to many museums, except a few here in Washington DC including The Holocaust Museum and The Museum of Natural History. When I went to the American Indian Museum, I didn’t come out with the same feeling. Of course, I understand that the emotions that the  the Holocaust Museum evoke weren't going to be the same as the American Indian Museum, but I felt as if I was cheated out on quality.

Honestly, it felt as if I pulled out my brother’s fourth grade social studies text book and walked through it. It was completely censored and it covered an incredible amount of general information about different American tribes, but was that a proper way to compensate for the high degree of censorship? Another problem with that museum is that you get the feeling that most of your tax dollars went to the construction of the building rather than the content that was present. I'm not going to argue that the architecture wasn't appealing, but it really didn't add to the quality of the museum. From outside, you imagine (by the size of the building), that the exhibits are going to be incredibly big and spectacular. It was slightly frustrating when I realized that  that out of the four floors, only 2 were the actual museum and everything else was either food or merchandise. 

Did my understanding of the American Indian change? I’m sorry to say, but no, it didn’t. I think that’s the problem with the museum. An individual should walk into the museum and come out knowing something new. I mean, it was nice walking through the museum and seeing different artifacts, but I don’t think I grasped something wholesome about Native Americans. I definitely think a big part of it has to deal with the fact that the museum lacks history of Natives throughout time. Although this may involve many serious exhibits, I believe people would have walked out the museum with a greater appreciation and respect for Natives. Overall, if I would have to rate the museum, it would be a 2/5.