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The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is committed to advancing knowledge and
understanding of the Native cultures of the Western Hemisphere—past, present, and future—through
partnership with Native people and others. The museum works to support the continuance of culture,
traditional values, and transitions in contemporary Native life.
For information about the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, visit the NMAI website
at www.AmericanIndian.si.edu. To support the museum by becoming a member, call 1-800-242-NMAI
(6624) or click on “Support” on the website.
Director: Kevin Gover (Pawnee)
Associate Director for Museum Research and Scholarship: David W. Penney Publications Manager: Tanya
Thrasher (Cherokee Nation) Assistant Publications Manager: Ann Kawasaki
Project Editor: Arwen Nuttall (Cherokee ancestry) Editorial, Permissions, and Research Assistance: Sally
Barrows, Christine G. Gordon, Alexandra Harris (Cherokee ancestry), Wendy Hurlock-Baker, Fernanda
Luppani, Bethany Montagano Design: Julie Allred/BW&A Books, Steve Bell
Published by Smithsonian Books
Director: Carolyn Gleason
Senior Editor: Christina Wiginton
Editorial Assistant: Jaime Schwender
SECOND EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: National Museum of the American Indian
(U.S.), issuing body.
Title: Do all Indians live in tipis? : questions and answers from the National Museum of the American Indian
/ by Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian ; foreword: Kevin Gover, Director of the
National Museum of the American Indian, introduction to first edition: Wilma Mankiller, Former
Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Description: Revised edition. | Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian,
[2017] | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017045193 (print) | LCCN 2018002669 (ebook) | ISBN 9781588346209 (e-book) |
ISBN 9781588346193 | ISBN 9781588346193(pbk.) Subjects: LCSH: Indians of North America—
Study and teaching. | Indians of North America—Public opinion. | Indians of North America—Social
life and customs. | Indians in popular culture—North America. | Public opinion—North America. |
Questions and answers. | Stereotypes (Social psychology)—North America.
Classification: LCC E76.6 (ebook) | LCC E76.6 .D6 2017 (print) | DDC 970.004/97—dc23
Classification: LCC E76.6 (ebook) | LCC E76.6 .D6 2017 (print) | DDC 970.004/97—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017045193
Ebook ISBN 9781588346209
Three Native artists featured in this book use today’s media to tell their stories, equal parts
unexpected, educational, and entertaining: COVER: According to Northern Arapaho/Seneca artist
Dallin Maybee, his 2013 work Conductors of Our Own Destiny “…reflects my personal perception of
the evolution of Native traditional and contemporary art forms. I have always felt that one of the
strengths of our culture has been our ability to adapt to and evolve in an ever-changing technological
landscape. Our art has reflected that evolution.”
TITLE PAGE: Through his pop art satire, Steven Paul Judd (Kiowa) wanted to make art “geared toward
Native peoples” but that anyone can also “learn from it, starting from a humorous point.” The
Summer They Visited, 2014. Photoshop.
The questions in this book originated for the most part in letters, emails, phone
calls, and in-person visits from the public to the learning center at the George
Gustav Heye Center, the New York branch of the National Museum of the
American Indian, and to our flagship museum in Washington, D.C. Special
recognition goes to the museum’s esteemed Cultural Interpreter staff, whose
expertise working with our audiences contributed directly to the revised set of
questions in this edition.
CONTRIBUTORS FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Mary Ahenakew (Cherokee/Piscataway-Conoy) Stephanie
Betancourt (Seneca) Jennifer Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Chippewa
ancestry) Alexandra Harris (Cherokee ancestry) Liz Hill (Red Lake
Band of Ojibwe) Nema Magovern (Osage)
Bethany Montagano
Rico Newman (Piscataway/Conoy) Arwen Nuttall (Cherokee
ancestry) Edwin Schupman (Muscogee)
Georgetta Stonefish Ryan (Delaware) Tanya Thrasher (Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma)
Sincere appreciation also goes to the museum’s photographers and staff for their
contributions: Katherine Fogden (Mohawk), Cindy Frankenburg, Ernest
Amoroso, Walter Larrimore, R. A. Whiteside, Doug McMains, and Hayes P.
Lavis. All photos are by museum staff unless otherwise indicated.
Special thanks to Ellen Jamieson, whose long experience at the museum’s
learning center and extensive research into Native cultures has greatly contributed
to our collective knowledge.
To Dr. Helen Maynor Scheirbeck (Lumbee),
whose lifelong commitment to creating
educational opportunities for Native people
is matched only by her dedication to educating
all Americans about Native cultures.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Dedication
Foreword
Kevin Gover, Director, National Museum of the American Indian
Introduction
Wilma Mankiller, Former Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation of
Oklahoma
American Indian Cultures
Do Indians celebrate Thanksgiving?
What is the importance of music to Native people?
What musical instruments do Native people play?
What did Indians use for paint and dye?
What are kachina dolls? What are they used for?
Did all tribes have totem poles? Does anyone still carve them?
Do Indians make art?
How do I know if something I purchase is really made by an American Indian
artist or tribe?
Why are there different spellings for words— such as tipi and teepee— in Native
American languages?
What is a powwow?
Did American Indians invent lacrosse?
What was the first game ever played with rubber balls?
Did early Mesoamericans practice human sacrifice during their ball games?
Description:How much do you really know about totem poles, tipis, and Tonto? There are hundreds of Native tribes in the Americas, and there may be thousands of misconceptions about Native customs, culture, and history. In this illustrated guide, experts from Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
