Not the "Last of the Miamis"

Myaamia (Miami) sap bucket, ca. 1890-1910. Indiana. Elm bark; 22.6 x 0.8 x 20.5 cm. Collected by Mark Raymond Harrington during 1910 fieldwork. Formerly owned by Kiilhsoohkwa (Kil-so-quah) or her son Waapimaankwa (Anthony Revarre). National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (2/8053)

September 27, 2013

"As part of the Museum’s National Education Initiative, the Partnership and Extension Services team had the pleasure of working with the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. The Miami—or Myaamia in their language, meaning Downstream People—are originally from the Great Lakes area. Today, Myaamia families are found throughout the United States and are working diligently to revitalize their language and culture through annual educational gatherings and cultural events, and to bring the geographically disparate communities together through the use of technology. One of the most significant annual events is the week-long Eewansaapita(Sunrise) Summer Educational Experience, held in Miami, Oklahoma, where Myaamia youth (ages 10 to 16) participate in cultural experiences. This June, the National Museum of the American Indian was able to bring some of the museum’s Myaamia tribal collections to people at Eewansaapita virtually through the use of simple videoconferencing technology. Despite a thousand miles of physical separation, the sense of the students’ pride in their culture was palpable." -Renée Gokey, NMAI

For the full text article, go to the National Museum of the American Indian's post here.