Lacrosse returns to the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, but its story began long before the modern Games. Indigenous nations, especially the Haudenosaunee, shaped one of North America’s oldest team sports.

Museum of Indigenous People Executive Director Manuel Lucero, Cherokee, was invited to provide a blessing ceremony at Prescott’s World’s Oldest Rodeo®. The moment honored Indigenous heritage, the history of the land, and the community connections that continue to shape Prescott today.

MIP celebrates the volunteers who have helped shape the museum over the years and invites new volunteers to join the mission, support museum growth, and help visitors connect with the Indigenous Cultures of the Southwest.

Powwows have a connection to the 4th of July, but not in the simple patriotic way many people expect. For many Native communities, Independence Day became a way to keep gathering during an era when federal policy tried to suppress Native ceremonies, dances, and religious life.

Learn how Ojibwe inventor Olivia Poole drew from cradleboard knowledge to create the Jolly Jumper, a lasting Indigenous contribution to modern baby care today.

Montana’s Indian Education for All is the only constitutional promise requiring Native American history, culture, and contributions in schools

The World Cup is more than a global soccer tournament. This article explores how Indigenous and First Nations cultures were represented through ceremony, language, host Nation recognition, and Native soccer athletes whose stories stretch from early First Nations teams to MLS records and World Cup history.

Generations of "Skywalkers" (Mohawk ironworkers from Kahnawà and Akwesasne) helped shape New York’s bridges, skyscrapers, and the World Trade Center. Their story connects Indigenous skill, family responsibility, dangerous high-iron work, and the recovery and rebuilding that followed September 11.

Learn how to handle, clean, display, and store Native pottery, jewelry, figurines, baskets, beadwork, textiles, and other cultural works without damaging their materials or meaning.

The Skidi Pawnee Star Chart is one of the most compelling examples of Indigenous astronomy in North America. It reflects a Pawnee understanding of the sky as a source of knowledge, ceremony, order, and responsibility.

The Museum of Indigenous People was honored to receive an $11,550 one-time grant from 100 Men Who Care of Yavapai County. The award followed a Prescott community giving event where local nonprofits shared their work and attendees voted to support one organization.

Before kayaks became recreational boats, Arctic Indigenous peoples developed them for hunting, fishing, travel, and survival in cold waters. This MIP article explores the kayak as an Indigenous contribution rooted in engineering, environmental knowledge, and generations of design skill.

Donicio Sánchez’s life offers a deeper look into the artistic and cultural legacy of San Ildefonso Pueblo. More than a collaborator in pottery, he was a vital link between generations, contributing to a tradition that shaped Indigenous art in the Southwest. His story reveals the people behind the craft—honoring family, identity, and the enduring strength of Pueblo culture.

Long before modern agriculture, Indigenous communities transformed a wild grass into maize and developed the Three Sisters farming system. This knowledge spread across trade routes, shaped the Southwest, and still informs how we grow and store food today. Discover how Indigenous innovation continues to impact global agriculture through the Museum of Indigenous People’s “Contributions” exhibit.

Case That Changed U.S. History. Elouise Cobell, also known as Yellow Bird Woman, exposed decades of mismanaged Native trust funds. Her work led to a $3.4 billion settlement and forced the U.S. government to confront systemic failures while creating lasting opportunities through land restoration and education for Native communities.

From the Trail of Tears to the Indian Citizenship Act to Minneapolis streets in 2026, the question asked of Native people has never really changed: do you belong here? The Museum of Indigenous Perspectives traces the unbroken pattern and explains why cultural integrity is the only honest answer.

Once the largest Indigenous nation in northwest Mexico, the Opata people endured colonization, devastating disease, and forced assimilation — yet their story never ended. Through figures like Francisca Acuña and living traditions such as the fariseo ceremony, Opata identity persists across Sonora and southern Arizona, hidden in plain sight. The Museum of Indigenous People is proud to share it.

Dr. Lois Ellen Frank (Kiowa), an award-winning chef, scholar, and educator, has helped bring Native American cuisine into the national conversation. Through research, cookbooks, and teaching, she highlights traditional Indigenous ingredients such as corn, beans, squash, and wild rice while exploring the cultural knowledge behind Native food traditions and the growing movement to reclaim Indigenous food sovereignty.

The history of Native nations in North America includes hundreds of treaties made between Indigenous governments and the United States. Many of those agreements were later violated or ignored. This article explores the legal doctrines, treaties, and historical events that shaped Indigenous land loss and sovereignty debates, and why these issues continue to influence discussions about justice, land rights, and tribal sovereignty today.

Join the Museum of Indigenous People in Prescott and help preserve Native American culture while gaining access to a vibrant community of learning and discovery. Members enjoy free admission, discounts at the Trading Post gift shop, access to the museum’s research library, and invitations to classes, lectures, and cultural programs led by Indigenous artists, historians, and elders. By becoming a member, you support the preservation of Indigenous art, traditions, and stories f