Smoki Museum, Native American art museum in Prescott, United States.
The Smoki Museum is a Native American art museum in Prescott that houses over 2,000 artifacts spanning multiple centuries. The collection features pottery, basketry, stone tools, and beadwork from many Southwestern tribes.
The museum grew from the Smoki Tribe, a group of white Arizona residents who performed Native American ceremonial dances from 1931 at a pueblo beside the present site, a practice the Hopi opposed. Kate Cory gave eight paintings and a photograph album, Dr. Byron Cummings of the University of Arizona supplied excavated artifacts, and Sharlot Hall provided ethnographic information. The stone-and-log building was constructed in 1935 by the Civilian Works Administration. Performances ended by 1990, the museum became a non-profit in 1991, and it took the name Museum of Indigenous People on February 10, 2020.
The exhibitions showcase artwork, clothing, ornaments, and ceremonial objects from tribes including the Yavapai, Apache, Pima, and Tohono Oodham. These items reflect the traditions and daily practices of the communities who have lived in this region.
The stone and log building, constructed in 1935 by the Civilian Works Administration, sits next to the pueblo where the Smoki held ceremonies from 1931. Exhibits rotate on an irregular schedule, averaging four to six months, so repeat visitors see different pieces. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
The building itself, of stone and logs, was put up in 1935 by the Civilian Works Administration and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Before that, from 1931 the Smoki group held ceremonial presentations at a pueblo beside the present museum site.
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