Smithsonian to House Indian Museum
After nearly a decade of failed legislation, proposals and stalemates, the Smithsonian Board of Regents Monday voted to accept an agreement that will bring to Washington the priceless collection of New York’s Museum of the American Indian.
It is to be housed in the proposed National Museum of the American Indian, to be located on the last available land on the Mall.
A smaller museum, run by the Smithsonian, would be housed in New York City’s Custom House.
“There have been countless trails of tears . . . the history is a sad one,” said Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) of the story of American Indians. “But the museum is a trail of hope throughout Indian land.”
In the next few days, Inouye said, he expects authorizing and appropriations legislation to be introduced in Congress, and added that he had already scheduled for Friday joint hearings on the museum before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs and the Rules and Administration Committee.
Monday’s decision was the most critical in creating the museum, and it is not expected to encounter significant opposition in Congress.
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