The Museum of Native American History is a non-profit, handicapped-accessible museum of Native American history, art, and culture located in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum was founded in 2006 by David Bogle, a local businessman and registered member of the Cherokee Nation. The museum features artifacts from across the Americas covering over 14,000 years of history. The museum chooses to focus on the broader history of Native Americans as a whole, rather than any specific tribe and is laid out in roughly chronological order beginning around 12,000 BC and ending around 1900 AD. The museum offers free admission and welcomed 35,000 guests in 2016, with indications that attendance will continue to climb in the coming years. The museum is routinely listed as the second most popular attraction in Bentonville, following Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
History
David Bogle began his personal collection by purchasing an arrow head collection from his childhood scoutmaster, and over time his personal collection grew exponentially. He began exploring opportunities to display his collection as well as to educate others in a deeper way about how Native Americans actually lived. That process resulted in the founding of the museum in 2006 in a converted house. The museum also includes items from the University of Arkansas museum that ceased operations in 2003.
The museum relocated into its current space in 2008, and it has been expanded 3 times in the last decade to its current footprint of 13,500 square feet to accommodate the growing collection.
The museum collection was further bolstered by an additional 1500 Meso-American items donated by Jim and Nancy Blair in 2015, adding new items from Southern Mexico, Central America and South America. Beginning in 2017, the museum has held an annual Cultural Symposium featuring concerts, workshops, speakers and film screenings.
Permanent Galleries
Paleo
This gallery focuses on the earliest time periods of humans in the Americas, from around 12,000 BC to 8,000 BC. Included as part of the collection is "Tusker", an authentic Woolly Mammoth skeleton which greets visitors upon their arrival.
Archaic
This gallery focuses on the shift toward the time of "Hunters and Gatherers" once the Mega-Fauna had perished and people began living in small semi-permanent villages and gathering food for themselves. This gallery has many examples of Archaic period tools and weapons, including Atl-atl specimens.
Woodlands
Covering the time from 1,000 BC to 900 AD, The Woodlands period is unique due to the development of crop cultivation and larger social structures, as well as the development of earthen burial and ceremonial mounds.
Mississippian
The Mississippian Period saw the development of larger villages and population centers. This period's prosperity led to some of the most intricate of all pottery samples that have survived to this day. This gallery includes the Sweetwater Biface, which is considered to be the thinnest flint artifact yet found.
Historic
The Historic period includes the first contact and interactions of Native Americans with Europeans and continues until near present day.
Pre-Columbian
The Pre-Columbian Gallery shifts a wider focus to artifacts from Mexico, Central America, and South America before the time of Columbus. Specific cultures represented are the Aztec, Maya, and Inca peoples.
Programs
Creative Visions
is an interactive art-making workshop created by the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, AR. The goal is to provide an opportunity for Native American art to be taught to people of all ages and heritages. Through a group art workshop with step-by-step instructions from an experienced Native American artist, culture will not only be preserved, but spread. It will also create personal advancements for the artist and participants. #EducateNotSeparate.
Native Conversations
is a lecture style event held by scholars, artists, and advocates that hosts monthly events about ways to give voice to historical and contemporary Native American culture.
Storytime
On the second Saturday of every month, fun Native stories and compatible activities that are geared towards children ages 4 and older are shared with the public. Kids of all ages and adults are welcome.
