OKLAHOMA CITY — Several decades in the making, the First Americans Museum is finally scheduled to hold a grand-opening celebration this weekend.
First Americans Museum Marketing and Communications Manager Ginny Underwood, of the Kiowa and Comanche tribes, said museum staff are in the final week of preparations before the opening celebration, which begins at 8 a.m. Saturday and concludes at 8 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s going well,” Underwood said. “It’s been a bit crazy but that is to be expected.”
FAM has worked with tribal volunteers and community partners to create a unique and culturally rich experience.
“It’s only the beginning,” she said, adding, “And now comes the fun part of sharing with the public the Native tribes of Oklahoma.”
Underwood said FAM has been spreading the word about the museum finally opening via social media channels and word of mouth.
“We’ve been very cautious about doing a big media push because we have to monitor the COVID numbers,” she said. “We have to be very careful with the crowd size.”
The museum will limit the number of people allowed inside “to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment,” Underwood said. This includes a limited time $5 entry ticket to ensure visitors have ample space to observe social distancing. However, she said, a ticket does not guarantee access to all indoor event areas.
Advanced purchase of time entry tickets is required, Underwood said, and can be reserved online at fam.org. Opening day may prove not to be the best day to explore the museum’s extensive exhibit galleries in the 175,000-square foot museum.
Underwood said following the 10:30 a.m. Procession of Nations on Saturday, there will be a formal recognition of those tribes. Event programming will begin at 12:30 p.m., with a full schedule of state-of-the-art exhibitions in First American history, culture and art, live public and educational programs and shopping at the FAM store, which sells one-of-a-kind items from Oklahoma Native artists.
“In our courtyard there will be people from the tribes doing cultural demonstrations and in the FAM theater there will be a screening of indigenous films,” Underwood said.
National Poet Laureate Joy Harjo will be reading, and comedian/actors Little Mike and Funny Bone from the FX, Oklahoma-set series “Reservation Dogs” will be performing as well.
Additionally, there are dining options at FAM, including Thirty Nine Restaurant – named for the 39 tribes in Oklahoma – and the Arbor Café. During the weekend celebration, 12 food trucks will be on hand.
Underwood said parking is limited at FAM, which is located at 659 First Americans Blvd. However, Crooked Oak School at 1901 SE 15th Street, is offering transportation from the school to the museum for $10. The money will go to the school’s Junior ROTC and athletic program.
FAM staff has worked hard to prepare for the long-awaited grand opening of a museum showcasing what Oklahoma’s tribes have to offer the wider world.
“We are thrilled to share with the public a premier venue dedicated to the history, art and cultural lifeways of First Americans in Oklahoma,” said James Pepper Henry, FAM director and CEO. “We invite everyone to the long-awaited opening of FAM in September. Those who attend the Grand Opening will be among the first to experience a national treasure that will be enjoyed for decades to come.”
One of the unique spots on the FAM property is the museum’s iconic earthen mound. The mound pays tribute to great mound-builder civilizations dating back to 500 A.D. This includes the greater Mississippian cultures, which links with the Spiro culture, who built many mounds in what is now eastern Oklahoma, near the Arkansas River.
The museum informs visitors that “The walk to the top of the mound is steeped in metaphor, representing life’s journey and our relationship to the cosmos, including the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. The peak of the Mound is symbolic of the arduous journeys of triumph and tragedy experienced by Native peoples during removal to Indian Territory.”
Festival Grounds at the museum will regularly feature activities, including pow-wows, stickball games, concerts and cultural festivals.
Underwood said the museum aligns with the cardinal directions, as First Americans have done for thousands of years.
“Seasonal programming is planned during these special times of year to celebrate the winter and summer solstice as well as the spring and autumnal equinox,” she said.
Underwood said there will be more events coming in the next few months, including programming scheduled for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which Oklahoma City observes on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021.
The First Americans Museum — run by the American Indian Cultural Center Foundation — was created through a partnership between the State of Oklahoma and the City of Oklahoma City, with help from a Chickasaw Nation subsidiary, the American Indian Cultural Center Foundation, along with many donors.
For more information on the First Americans Museum and upcoming events, go to www.famok.org.