Penn Museum Unveils Native North America Gallery: Rooted in Resilience. Resisting Erasure.

The new 2,000 sq. ft. multisensory Native North America Gallery explores the political, religious, linguistic, and artistic self-determination of Native peoples across the United States who are thriving—despite attempts to erase Indigenous identities, cultures, and languages. At its center are interactive stations where visitors can listen to Native languages and try their hand at traditional weaving techniques.

A rendering of the Penn Museum’s Native North America Gallery

Among the 250 cultural items and contemporary Native art pieces on view is an empty display case, prompting repatriation as an essential point of discussion and offering a moment of reflection for guests.

"Updating this gallery has taken two years and is a continuation of the Museum’s long-standing commitment to amplify Native voices, honor their perspectives, and ensure their stories are represented with integrity," explains Dr. Lucy Fowler Williams, Co-Curator of the Native North America Gallery, Associate Curator-in-Charge, and Sabloff Keeper of the North American Section at the Penn Museum.

The new gallery showcases compelling Indigenous-led perspectives from four regions that have especially strong representation in the Penn Museum's collections:

Northeast: Longevity of Lënapehòkink (Delaware/Lenape) Spanning 13,000 years, this section honors the Lenape as the first people in the Delaware Valley and chronicles the creativity and resilience of Lenape communities as they survived forced removal.

Southeast: Persistent Places and Traditions (Eastern Band Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek)) Introducing the long history of Native traditions across the rivers and woodlands of the American South, this section spotlights under-recognized Indigenous technologies in engineering, agriculture, and art.

Southwest: Connecting with a Sacred Landscape (Pueblo) Accentuating the resilience of Pueblo peoples in the arid Southwest, this section outlineshistories of communities who have thrived for centuries in communal settings such asMesa Verde.

Northwest: Stewardship around the Gulf of Alaska (Lingít, Alutiiq) Exploring lifeways in the Gulf of Alaska and the Southeast region, this section exploreshow Alutiiq and Tlingit peoples have upheld traditions anchored in stewardship ofabundant natural resources.

"Consent is everything, and this is a change from how museums have worked in the past. We are now working collaboratively to include the people who are still here and give them a voice in how they are represented—this is paramount," says Jeremy Johnson, Cultural Education Director, Delaware Tribe of Indians and a Consulting Curator for the Native North America Gallery. "It is important for the people trained in the museum side of things to take what we’re saying and make it make sense to a wider audience. This work empowers communities; it gives us back agency over who we are and how we are presented."

In the U.S.'s 250th year, the Native North America Gallery offers nuance and complexity in telling the nation’s story.

"Indigenous representation in museums is a complex part of America’s painful colonial history and relationships continue to evolve," says Dr. Megan C. Kassabaum, Weingarten Associate Curator at the Penn Museum and Co-Curator of the Native North America Gallery. "We are committed to making sure this necessary, collaborative work continues."

The Native North America Gallery is generously supported by a lead gift from Ina and Lewis Heafitz, W’58 and is included with Penn Museum admission.

Please visit: https://www.penn.museum/