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Red Chief Stronghorse of the Cherokee tribe from New Jersey takes part Sept. 21 in the Native Nations Procession, marking the opening for the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington. (Heather Wines, GNS)
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Context and perspective
Americans Indians celebrate opening of national museum
Drumming and singing, circling and stomping, Indians in feathered headdresses, color-soaked shawls, business suits and T-shirts celebrated Tuesday's opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.
Museum reflects Indians' heritage and traditions
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Allen Pinkham was driving through southern Idaho in the 1960s when he stopped for gas and saw a display of Indian skulls.
He still remembers his outrage.
''I said 'How can these white people be so unjust and uncaring about American Indians that they would display our skulls in a gas station?''' said Pinkham, a member of Idaho's Nez Perce Indian tribe.
But it wasn't just gas stations. Museums, too, over the years have had their share of disrespectful and inappropriate Indian displays.
That won't be the case when the Smithsonian's new National Museum of the American Indian opens Tuesday in Washington just steps away from the Capitol.
