TULSA, Okla. — As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Tulsa's Helmrich Center for American Research is launching a new exhibit to educate others about the indigenous experience.
Indigenous Independence is a temporary exhibit at the Gilcrease Museum. It includes rare books, manuscripts, and art from the Gilcrease collection that show the American Revolution from the perspective of indigenous peoples.
2 News Oklahoma spoke with Dr. William Smith, the Director of the Helmrich Center for American Research and an associate professor of history at the University of Tulsa, about the importance of the exhibit.
"It's crucial. We're learning from native communities, activists, and scholars. People like Ned Blackhawk and others who have written scholarship and books to show that America's native people and nations were not peripheral. They were the center of the American story," said Dr. Smith.
Indigenous Independence opens on June 13 and will run through August 7.
While the new Gilcrease Museum is slated to open next year, sections of the new facility are open for special events and gatherings.
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