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Our most recent family outing took us to the (relatively new) National Museum of the American Indian.
The kids had a great time, but I found myself challenged a bit in explaining the history.
I mean, I didn’t want to come out and say “Western Civilization is evil,” but I didn’t want to say “hey, everything that was done was justified.”
I didn’t exactly hem and haw, but I do wish I had thought about it a bit more in advance.
The kids, as usual, didn’t seem to mind and embraced the experience with open arms, open eyes, and open minds.
There is a huge statue out front of a Pueblo Indian doing a dance (which they loved) and there were some very kid-friendly videos that told some Indian stories in a compelling way. What’s more, Tonka, in particular, really appreciated some of the beadwork on moccasins and the headdresses, but all of them found something special.
The one disappointment was that we were 1 week early for the renovated kid-focused activity area, but all in all, a strong outing and one that I definitely recommend (the building itself is just gorgeous and inspiring—even the kids noticed the unique architecture).
And, appropriately enough, we skipped watching a Washington Redskins game to visit the museum. Even though I’ve been a fan most of my life, I do realize that the name is offensive…it probably should be changed.
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