Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum — Attraction in Evanston Township

Very small and a bit confusing. Not much you can do about the small part. But, the space does not do the subject justice. The gaps outweigh the substance. The areas of the museum were divided into parts of the country. The information was not really clear on the info cards. Some had no info at all. I would have liked to have seen more information explaining the art, the differences in culture, the symbolism rather than who donated it. They really did seem to shy away from anything to do with those issues. They did mention several times that there were commercial items and then real symbolic items ( which were not there). As if the real items were too sacred to be seen by our eyes. The Field Museum embraced that at one of their recent exhibits, which acknowledged the items had a soul of their own. As is typical of museums these days, they had a political statement - theirs was on women stolen for slavery. A worthy subject that needs to be brought to the attention of the public. But, I personally prefer museums limit their preaching to our historical mistakes so we don’t make them again. The gift shop was pretty sad. I had wanted info about the areas the tribes were in. But just a map. Slim pickings, my friend said. I had hoped for sage, but was informed they wouldn’t sell ‘their’ medicines. We had a lively discussion about that. Came away feeling excluded. I had no right to learn about that culture, study my own. Thought that was why I...

The museum could do a lot better in communicating to hired artists when they will be cancelling a contract. Negating solidarity with another Indigenous community is one thing - sure you don’t want to be political or “risk” your stature in community by supporting the stand the artist you hired might take BUT, you gave that artist no discussion, no option for negotiating terms, and no notice that they would be fired. The poor business practice of cancelling someone’s contract without inasmuch as a warning shows very clearly to the Native community that the museum perceives Natives as disposable and erasable. For a museum that exists for the sole purpose of showcasing and platforming Native culture, to treat a Native artist so poorly shows that the museum is not aligned in a traditional or culturally appropriate way. I would never recommend this museum to another Native for fear that they also wouldn’t be safe from lateral violence if they...

Great museum on the history and culture of American Indians. The first floor is packed with exhibits on American Indians from the different regions of the country, including information on their history, art, housing, food, clothing, etc. Each area has a kid-friendly station of items to touch and play with. While we were there, two very enthusiastic groups of schoolkids were getting tours. The second floor had a fantastic and moving exhibition on the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2-spirits. There was also a room that looked like a kids educational space.

We enjoyed browsing the gift shop and took a quick peek in the library on the way out. The staff was friendly and there is free parking in the back. We would definitely recommend a visit to...