Stepping into the new First Americans Museum (FAM), one is immediately struck with a feeling of light, connection to the earth, and community. The glass atrium anchoring the museum invites you to stand in the sun, view the vast expanse of sky and the festival grounds outside, and feel that you’ve entered a gathering place. It’s a memorable and purposeful first impression for the museum, which opened in September 2021 after decades of development and collaboration among tribal nations and the Oklahoma state government to tell the stories of the state’s thirty-nine tribes. Through exhibits on Native history and contemporary issues created by an all-Native curatorial team, FAM offers a powerful perspective on cultural autonomy, silenced voices, and restorative justice while sharing stories of persistence, survival, and joy.1

WINIKO: Life of an Object, one of the museum’s inaugural exhibits, is a groundbreaking and emotional examination of the relationship...

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