KC OBSERVES NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Businesses, attractions pay tribute to rich ancestry of Native Americans

Kansas City, Mo.—November is Native American Heritage Month. In commemoration, museums, galleries, national parks and other attractions across the country will celebrate the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. Below is list of special area celebrations for the month and on-going exhibits that commemorate the significant contributions of the first Americans. For more information, go to VisitKC.com.

Special Exhibits/Performances

Johnson County Community College

  • Wednesday, Nov. 5 – The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmaking the Domination Code. This film focuses on the little-known practice where Christians assert “ultimate dominion” which grants away the land in the possession of Native Americans. This doctrine remains in effect today. 7 p.m. in the Hudson Auditorium, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art.  
  • Saturday, Nov. 8 – Community Research Forum and POWWOW will be held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 1930 Harper St., Lawrence. Grand entry at 1 p.m. Held in partnership with the Center for American Indian Health Research & Education Alliance, Johnson County Community College and the University of Kansas Medical Center. For more information, call 913-945-7822. 
  • Thursday, Nov. 13 – The Dakota. This film details the largest mass execution in U.S. history by President Lincoln and the effects on the executed men’s descendants. 7 p.m., in the Craig Auditorium, room 233 of the General Education Building. 

Events are free and open to the public. After each viewing, a discussion will be led by the film’s producers, directors and cast.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

  • Through Jan. 11, 2015 – The groundbreaking exhibition, The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky, explores the creative brilliance and cultural traditions from Indian Nations including the Osage, Omaha, Crow and Cheyenne. The exhibition is organized by Museé du quai Branly in Paris in collaboration with The Nelson and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. 
  • Friday, Nov. 14, From the Earth – This workshop will teach children and adults to create nature symbols in clay and share the importance of nature in the Osage belief system.
  • Friday, Nov. 21, Painting on Hide – Chandler Good Strike will guide children and adults through the process of creating their own hide paintings.

For more information or to enroll in a workshop, www.nelson-atkins.org

University of Kansas

  • Saturday, Nov. 22 – The First Nations Student Association presents the KU Fall POWWOW. Starts at 1 p.m. in the Kansas Student Ballroom, 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. Grand entries at 1 and 7 p.m. Suggested donation: one canned good or non-perishable item.

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/FNSAatKU.  

All Year Long

Heart of America Indian Center

  • A Culture Night is held the first Wednesday of every month to celebrate the Native American culture. Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome. 
  • Traditional Teachings is a discussion led by Moses Brings Plenty to understand an original way of life. Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.
  • American Indian Culture Camp for youth 5-13 is held annually to learn about American Indian culture. Campers will learn about various songs, dances and stories to aid in the understanding and appreciation of American Indian traditions. 

For more information about locations and times, contact the center at 816-421-7608 or information@kcindiancenter.org.

Haskell Indian Nations University’s Cultural Center and Museum

  • The Haskell Cultural Center and Museum opened in 2012. Permanent exhibit documents, such as the Tribal Military & Last Navajo Code Talker, are on display as well as archives, tribal book store, interpretive exhibition space and more are housed in the 6,000-square-foot building. 

Call 785-832-6686 to schedule a tour or go to www.haskell.edu/culural-center for more information. 

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

  • Inside The Nelson, three galleries are among the largest in the world devoted to American Indian art. These permanent collections encompass important works from all North American culture areas, dating from pre-contact to present. Free. www.nelson-atkins.org 

Shawnee Indian Mission

  • Located in Fairway, Kan., the Mission was established as a manual training school for boys and girls from the Shawnee, Delaware and other Indian Nations from 1839 to 1862. This 12-acre National Historic Landmark tells the stories of those who lived there. Museum store also on site. www.kshs.org/p/shawnee-indian-mission-plan-your-visit/15901 


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Formerly known as the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, Visit KC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ignite global passion for visiting Kansas City. Through marketing, sales and service of the convention and tourism industries, Visit KC supports a vital and growing component of the local economy—generating more than 45,000 jobs and $4.6 billion in economic impact annually. For more information about Kansas City, go to VisitKC.com.

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Devin Aaron 
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Visit KC
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daaron@visitkc.com
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Makenzie Wolters 
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Visit KC
816-691-3811
mwolters@visitkc.com

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