Vernon Ehlers: “Senate Joint Resolution 41 commemorates the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian. Today brings to a…”

“Senate Joint Resolution 41 commemorates the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian. Today brings to a conclusion a concept that started over 20 years ago, to create a national museum in our Nation's capital which is dedicated exclusively to Native American art, history, and culture. Today will also mark the beginning of a lasting tribute to those individuals who were our country's earliest inhabitants. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian sits adjacent to the National Air and Space Museum on over 4 acres of land, just southwest of the U.S. Capitol. The building's appearance is unlike any other in Washington, D.C., and it has symbolic references to Native American culture. The building's limestone exterior gives it the appearance of natural rock formations that have been carved by wind and water. Three-quarters of the site is reconstructed natural habitats that are indigenous to this southeastern region, and the building itself will display about 8,000 objects from its permanent collection.”