National Museum of the American Indian is a United States museum devoted to the histories and cultures of the native peoples of North, Central, and South America. The museum, sometimes called the NMAI, works in cooperation with Native American communities to present objects, exhibits, and artworks of historical significance. The museum’s collections also showcase modern Native American arts and cultures. The NMAI has three facilities: the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City; the Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, Maryland; and the museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The NMAI is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution.
George Gustav Heye, an American art collector, established the Museum of the American Indian in New York City in 1916. In 1989, the United States Congress created the National Museum of the American Indian and moved Heye’s collection to the Smithsonian Institution. The NMAI’s museum in Washington, D.C., opened in 2004.
