OKLAHOMA CITY – Fort Sill Apache Fire Dancers are among numerous groups scheduled at the grand opening of the First Americans Museum (FAM) Sept. 18-19 in Oklahoma City.
Billed as a world-class facility focusing on the 39 Native American tribes currently in Oklahoma, FAM will be in the spotlight when the 175,000 square-foot center opens to the public. The $175 million museum sits on 40 acres in eastern Oklahoma County.
Shoshanna Wasserman, deputy director of the First Americans Museum, is excited about the September grand opening and the revelations it will bring to Oklahomans about the tribes. “It’s amazing, but also terrifying because the last year has been challenging,” she said. “We will have some amazing exhibitions including 135 cultural materials or objects from the Smithsonian.
“We’ve lived through so much with COVID and so many things have been impacted and that’s had a ripple down effect with construction and materials. But after all of that, we believe it’s going to be amazing for the public to see.”
Members of the 39 tribes will participate in the opening ceremony and throughout the weekend with musical performances, films, tribal demonstrations, fashion and jewelry, cooking and storytelling. The Apache Fire Dancers will perform 7-8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19 in the courtyard. Meanwhile, the Delaware, Caddo and Wichita nations from southwest Oklahoma will conduct tribal demonstrations from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 in the courtyard.
A complete list of demonstrations and live entertainment is available on the museum’s website: www.famok.org.
Two new “amazing” exhibitions will be unveiled at the grand opening including the story of the 39 tribes and how they came to Oklahoma. “It will provide a real historical atmosphere,” Wasserman said. “The entire weekend will have a festive feel to it, and we want everyone to enjoy the demonstrations, the entertainment and the knowledge they’ll gain. The weekend will give people a glimpse of what’s here and we hope people will come back over and over again.”
When state funding dried up in 2012, construction of the museum and cultural center came to a halt. However, a partnership between the state, Oklahoma City and the tribes eventually led to continued construction and finally a completed museum. At the heart of the tribal influence were Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby and Gregg Wadley, businessman and a member of the Choctaw Nation.
“Governor Anoatubby, through all these years, has brought this project to reality and Gregg Wadley has provided stellar leadership,” Wasserman said.
For Wasserman, who has been associated with the museum project since its beginning, the museum has been her life’s work.
“It’s the greatest thing I’ve been a part of,” she said. “I appreciate what we have to share. It’s America’s history. I hope every person who walks through here will be fulfilled with the stories that are told and the uplifting human values. This museum is elevating our (Native Americans’) stories, the tragic and triumphant moments.”
Tickets to the Sept. 18-19 festival and grand opening are $5. Guests should be aware there will be no on-site parking. Parking will be off-site at two parking garages. Guests should check the museum’s website for details. Buses from the parking garages to the museum will start shuttling visitors at 8 a.m. both days. The $5 ticket price will continue on Monday, Sept. 20.
Regular pricing, hours and on-site parking will start on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The museum’s normal operating hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hours for Saturday and Sunday will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.