Koshare Indian Museum, Native American artifact museum in La Junta, Colorado.
The Koshare Indian Museum houses more than 3,000 objects representing diverse Native American peoples across North America, including traditional clothing, pottery, and ceremonial items. The building features a kiva, a traditional gathering space with characteristic design, where cultural performances and activities take place.
The Koshare Indian Dancers were founded in February 1933 by Scoutmaster James F. "Buck" Burshears as the Boy Scout Indian Club, first practising in his backyard and chicken coop. The museum building on the Otero Junior College campus opened on 11 November 1949 and was listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties on 13 December 1995.
The Koshare Indian Dancers perform traditional ceremonies throughout the year in the museum's kiva, a room designed with authentic Native American architectural elements. Visitors can witness how these dance traditions continue to be practiced and shared as living customs.
The museum sits on the Otero Junior College campus in La Junta, with the kiva attached to the tri-level building. Boy Scout troops traveling to Philmont Ranch can stay in hostel accommodations and receive museum discounts. The building has been listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties since December 13, 1995.
The kiva attached to the museum carries the largest self-supporting log roof in the world, built without interior columns. The museum opened on 11 November 1949 and has been listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties since 13 December 1995.
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