November is Native American Heritage Month and the Osage Tribal Museum is honoring the indigenous by presenting a mobile museum throughout Osage County.
The first stop: the Pawhuska Public Library on Nov. 10.
“I thought it was a very well done exhibit and I really appreciate being able to get this close to the pieces and look at them, there is so much detail on these things and if it is way up on a wall or behind a case you really don’t get to appreciate the artistry of things until you get to view it up close,” said Yvonne Rose, director of the Pawhuska Public Library. “I just really appreciate it.”
The mobile museum contains a sampling of the permanent collection from the museum, which is located on the main Osage Nation campus in Pawhuska. The mobile museum will travel to different public libraries in the county every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
The museum will be at the Hominy Public Library on Nov. 17, the Barnsdall Public Library on Nov. 19 and the Skiatook Wah-Zha-Zhi Early Learning Center on Nov. 24.
“We want to reach out to people that may not be able to get to Pawhuska, so that they can engage with the museum and possibly make a return visit to the main campus museum,” said Osage Tribal Museum Curator, Hallie Winter. “We want to show people we are here and still open, even though the museum is being renovated; the east room is still open to the public.”
The mobile museum is housed in the ON Child Care’s Resource on Wheels truck and trailer. Inside the trailer the museum staff is showcasing Osage moccasins, the Bronze Bust of Henry Pratt, photographs, yarn work, ribbon work, paintings and more.
“I thought it was absolutely wonderful, I learned there was Osage Code talkers, I didn’t know that,” said Lenna Hayes, Pawhuska Library Assistant. “I also learned about the Roaches [Osage men wear]. Yeah, I enjoyed it.”
The museum’s new Collections Manager, Cali Martin (Osage), said it was challenging putting the mobile exhibit together because the staff is actively going through the existing collection. Martin, who is from Arkansas and previously worked at the National Museum of the American Indian, said they chose artifacts the public hasn’t seen before.
“There are a lot of things people haven’t seen and we want to make sure that they are seen, that is why we are here for the good of the tribe and for educational purposes,” Martin said.
Winter said she hopes to make the mobile museum a yearly event during the month of November, with hopes of expanding.
Museum renovation
The museum is currently undergoing various changes and renovations, such as painting and the installation of a new lighting system. Winter said the new lighting system would keep harsh lights off exhibits and will better preserve them. The staff is implementing a new archival procedure and is going through their inventory and cataloguing. They hope to have a public re-opening to showcase the new layout of the museum. The reopening is tentatively scheduled in May, Winter said.
[Editor’s Note: This story was clarified on Nov. 17 to indicate the Mobile Museum will be at the Skiatook WELA on Nov. 24.]
By
Tara Madden
Original Publish Date: 2015-11-13 00:00:00
