Permanent Exhibits, and Living Indigenous Knowledge
Cultural Patrimony
Discover Indigenous histories, cultures, knowledge, and creativity through more than 2,000 cultural items and artworks in the care of the Museum of Indigenous People. The collection includes pottery, basketry, lithics, textiles, tools, beadwork, jewelry, paintings, archival materials, and contemporary art.
Spanning ancestral, historical, and contemporary periods, these cultural items offer a deeper understanding of Indigenous life across the Southwest, northern Mexico, and Mesoamerica. Together, they demonstrate that Indigenous cultures are not confined to the past. They continue through knowledge, artistic practice, community, and innovation today.
Inside the MIP
Ancestral
Worlds
Encounter pottery, tools, and cultural materials that reveal Indigenous life across the Southwest, northern Mexico, and Mesoamerica.
Knowledge Across Generations
Discover how cultural knowledge, artistic traditions, community life, and relationships with the land have continued and evolved across centuries.
Indigenous Creativity Today
Experience paintings, murals, textiles, and other works that express the identities, experiences, and creativity of Indigenous people today.
Preservation and Stewardship
MIP preserves, documents, researches, and interprets the cultural items in its care. Native advisors and community partners help strengthen how the collection is described, exhibited, and understood, while continuing research provides new information about the people, places, and histories connected to it.
Plan your visit and explore it all
MIP cares for more than 2,000 cultural items, artworks, and research materials from the Southwest, northern Mexico, and Mesoamerica. The collection extends from ancestral communities to Indigenous artists working today.
Pottery &
Ceramics
Ancestral and historical vessels reflect changes in materials, forms, firing methods, painted designs, trade, and everyday use.
Lithics &
Tools
Stone tools and other implements provide insight into hunting, food preparation, building, agriculture, and daily life.
Archives &
Oral Histories
Photographs, documents, recordings, and archival materials preserve personal experiences and historical information that may not appear in objects alone.
Basketry &
Fiber Arts
Baskets demonstrate generations of environmental knowledge, artistic design, and skill in harvesting, preparing, and weaving natural materials.
Jewelry &
Beadwork
Jewelry, silverwork, stones, and beadwork combine cultural knowledge with the individual techniques and creative decisions of their makers.
Books &
Research
The Geraldine “Gerri” Parker Family Library supports the study of Indigenous history, art, archaeology, and the cultural materials in MIP’s care.
Textiles &
Clothing
Weavings, garments, and other textiles reveal cultural traditions, family knowledge, technical innovation, and relationships with place.
Paintings &
Sculpture
Historical and contemporary artworks bring Indigenous perspectives, identities, experiences, and artistic innovation into the museum.
Permanent &
Rotating Exhibits
Rotating exhibitions allow MIP to focus more closely on individual artists, cultural traditions, historical subjects, and contemporary issues.
