Who Stole the Tee Pee? An online exhibit of the National Museum of the American Indian

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• Learn more about American history, American Indians, art, art history, crafts, and culture.

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Historical artifacts from the National Museum of the American Indian provide context for exploring changes in Native American cultures and the causes of those changes. Works by Native American artists express the social, political, cultural, and personal aspects of changes since the 1900s. Forced assimilation, boarding school education, relocation to distant cities, and the influences of missionaries, soldiers, teachers, government officials, and social reformers are topics on the site. Oppression and racism and ideas about cultural freedom and individual expression are examined. Beadwork is shown as a means for expressing old ideas and new realities. Contrast between the old ways and the idea that children needed to learn the ways of the whites is explored. Schools are shown as places where children’s hair was cut, Native American clothes were taken away, children were taught to salute the flag and think in English about wealth, property, and individuality. The site examines the influence of European symbols, images, and icons on Native American art and the influence of outside demands, tourism, and stereotypical notions on Native Americans, their culture, and their art. The idea that art competitors shaped the notion that Native Americans produce something less than fine art is presented. The website offers a look beyond clichés about Indians and looks at Native Americans as artists, as a community, and as individuals.