“National Museum of the American Indian” in New York City. Today, the “National Museum of the American Indian” has three branches: with the central one in Washington, D.C., although it was the New York branch that was the very first museum and the foundation of the entire “National Museum.” It was organized by George Gustav Hay, who began collecting in 1897. The first item he acquired was an Indian shirt sewn from a deerskin, belonging to some member of the Navajo tribe. Often such items were bought in bulk, and thus a huge private collection of Native American artifacts came into existence.
Until 1956, the museum director was its creator Hay, and in 1990, the American Congress decided to make the unique collection a national treasure, transferring the museum to the Smithsonian Society. By 1994, the collection was made a branch of the “National Museum of the American Indian.” This museum is located in the former customs building of Manhattan, by the way, this structure is an important historical and architectural monument of New York City, it is decorated with columns, ancient sculptures, relief compositions, and the interior is decorated with marble and paintings. The museum has an extensive collection of more than eight hundred thousand exhibits, one hundred twenty-five thousand photographs, unique Indian artifacts belonging to the tribes of Latin America, Central America, Canada and Alaska.
There are unique works of art by Indian craftsmen, paintings by artists, masterpieces of beadwork, traditional costumes of Indian tribes, ritual masks, pottery and weapons, and a collection of scalps. The museum often hosts themed ethnographic exhibits, traditional Indian music concerts, and other cultural events celebrating Indian life. Visiting the cafe at the museum, you can get acquainted with interesting traditional Indian dishes. There is also a souvenir store.