Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

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Lonely Planet review

Impressive displays, almost installation-art pieces, were designed by Diné (Navajo), Hopi, Apache and Pueblo tribal members for the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture . Exhibits draw you through 10,000 years of Indian history, from efficient hide tents perfect for the nomadic lifestyle and adobe apartment complexes that grew along with regional agriculture to modern, HUD-approved hogans with pre-fab kitchens stocking Navajo tacos and government-issued 'Wheat Square Cereal.' The juxtaposition of centuries is jarring. Your introduction to Native America comprises incredible art, from the ancient and antique to 1960s psychedelic, including musical instruments, jewelry, weavings, pottery and more.

Catch traveling exhibits like the nine outdoor sculptures by famed Chiricahua Apache artist Allan Houser, patriarch of Native Modernism, who was honored with a retrospective at the Smithsonian when the National Museum of the American Indian opened in Washington, DC in 2004. Many exhibits are accompanied by informative and sometimes sobering testimonials from the elders who have lived through so many changes. It's a must. There are also guided tours (h , & ).