A museum dedicated to the history of Indigenous people opens in Oklahoma City under the name: First Americans Museum and offers an exposition of 39 tribes living in Oklahoma. The museum's architecture is influenced by the tribes' culture and offers significant symbolisms representing the First Americans' spirituality. Indigenous beliefs concerning the environment, the movement of the Sun, and the movement of spirits are also incorporated and being referenced to.
James Pepper Henry of the Kaw Nation, serving as FAM director and CEO, said:
"Right angles are not an aesthetic for many of the tribes here in Oklahoma. In our beliefs, if you have a right angle, spirits get trapped in there and it causes an imbalance. So, all of our dwellings are round."
In order to offer an accurate account of the traditions and beliefs of the Indigenous nations, the design team collaborated with Native and theatrical consultants to find shared beliefs among the nations. They were thus able to signify a relationship between the architecture of the site and a wide variety of tribes.
Shoshana Wasserman of the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, who serves as FAM deputy director, said:
"There is this philosophical approach to connectivity, to the natural world, life-sustaining elements like fire, wind, water, Earth. So, these started emerging. That connectivity to Mother Earth became so powerful, and so that's the direction it went."
The impressive arch of the museum was designed the Bill and Demos Glass team of artists. The sculpture resembles the Sun through its perfect alignment with the light during the equinoxes.
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[Based on reporting by: My Modern Met]
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