In a message dated 95-11-06 21:52:14 EST, you write:

>Adrienne, what was wonderful about the room at the National Museum of the
>American Indian?
>
>RACHEL FAGGETTER

You could actually sit on the couch, there were copies of Lakota Times,
Indian Sentinel etc on the coffee table and the tv was on playing a
continuous reel of stereotype commercials, excercise programs, talk shows,
music videos, all the crap you would normally see on cable but all with an
Indian bent to it. The artist who produced the "film" even got Wilma
Mankiller to make an appearance. In the kitchen, the refridgerator was filled
with foods bearing stereotypical logos: Calumet baking powder, Argo corn
starch, Indian River oranges from florida and so on. I was particularly
impressed to see a can of Money House Blessing spray on top of the
refridgerator, a particular favorite of mine. I used to work for a Sioux
woman who collected Indian stereotypes, so this exhibit was fun for me, but I
think it is very educational to those who are culturally sensitive but
perhaps not culturally aware of the everyday pervasive stereotypes against
ethnic groups, women, children and so on. In addition to the contemporary
stuff, there was also traditional Navajo items over the bed, hanging on the
walls (rugs), some pottery, etc. All in all a terrific exhibit.
Unfortunately, a review in NAMES was not as favorable as mine, but then they
were looking at the museum as a whole and that is another story.

- Adrienne