Indigenous Innovations

Artist builds an Eastern Arctic Kayak during the third day of the First Americans Festival. NMAI Mall Museum opening.
Artist builds an Eastern Arctic Kayak during the third day of the First Americans Festival. NMAI Mall Museum opening.
COST: FREE
AGES: 7-9
TIMES: 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST
Get ready to make a splash as we take this one-week session to the open water! Did you know that the kayak is a Native design invented at least 4,000 years ago? Native people of the Americas have impacted the world through countless scientific discoveries and innovations—including the kayak! Campers will explore the origins of the kayak and traditional building practices to prototype their own kayak design and put them to the test.
In partnership with Native peoples and their allies, the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) fosters a richer shared human experience through a more informed understanding of Native peoples. The museum strives toward equity and social justice for the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere through education, inspiration and empowerment. The NMAI cares for one of the world’s most expansive collections of Native objects, photographs, and media, covering the entire Western Hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego.
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