PLAINS INDIAN MUSEUM
Explore cultures, histories, and living traditions of Plains Indian peoples in one of the nation’s largest collections of Native American art and artifacts. Make it a stop on your cultural tour through the West.
Plains Indian Cultures — Then and Now
The Plains Indian Museum in Cody, Wyoming is one of five museums at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This Native American museum explores the lives of Plains Indian peoples, cultures and traditions over hundreds of years.
View timeless Plains Indians artifacts and check out how Plains Indian tribal traditions are being sustained and celebrated today. It’s a must-see on the road to Yellowstone.
Plains Indian Gallery Themes
Encounter the Plains Indians through the rich themes of Buffalo and the People, Honor and Celebration, Land of Many Gifts, and Adversity and Renewal.
What Will You See?
Objects in the Plains Indian Museum range from the functional trappings of every-day life to works of exquisite artistry, from historic to contemporary. Browse some highlights.
NAGPRA at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West complies with all legal and ethical principles of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) passed by the U.S. Congress in 1990 (Public Law 601-101 and the Final Regulations, 43 CFR 10). Objects governed and defined by NAGPRA include human remains, associated and unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. The Center recognizes its role as a caretaker of sacred and/or culturally sensitive objects and works with both federally recognized and non-federally recognized Indian Tribes and Nations of the United States to identify and repatriate cultural items defined by NAGPRA; and with Canadian First Nations to identify and repatriate cultural items described by NAGPRA under Center policies and international laws.
The Center has developed formal steps intended to guide the NAGPRA repatriation process and welcomes inquiries from Federal entities, Native American Tribes, lineal descendants, and researchers. If you would like to initiate a NAGPRA consultation, file a claim, or learn more about our NAGPRA program, please contact [email protected].
