Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., came to Red Lake Thursday to meet with tribal leaders and get feedback on a new exhibit on American Indian treaties.

He said the exhibit will be designed in layers, with a main exhibition at the national museum at the National Mall, a traveling exhibition to go nationwide and a third one that will travel throughout Minnesota to tell the story of American Indian treaties in Minnesota, said the Bemidji Pioneer:

“This is our first real effort to address the harder, more tragic parts of native history and their relationships with the United States,” Gover said. “The Smithsonian has enormous potential to change people’s understanding of Native American studies — what we’re taught in school.”

According to Gover, the museum is controlled by American Indians and therefore approaches historical subjects like treaties differently than other institutions. The paper said:

“In our authorizing statute, by law, the majority of our trustees are Native Americans, meaning members of federally recognized tribes. That alone tells you we’re going to approach matters differently,” he said.

Gover said he anticipates the treaties exhibit to be available for viewing in two years, in time for the 150th anniversary of the Dakota War of 1862 (southwestern Minnesota). He said he also hopes to complete a major publication on treaties and develop educational materials for teachers to use with students in K-12.

“We want to start getting kids used to the idea that Indian treaties are no different than U.S. treaties and that they’re alive and enforceable,” he said.