The color red is symbolic for many different cultures and movements. It has become associated with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, which hopes to increase awareness of the violence experienced by Indigenous women. Rebecca West, the curator of the Plains Indian Museum, said many people question why MMIW movement would use red. […]
The Plains Indian Museum doesn’t only collect art from the past. Rebecca West, the curator of the museum, said their job is also to collect contemporary art like those of John Isaiah Pepion, of the Blackfeet nation in northern Montana. “It’s based on what we call more traditional art forms. And when we say traditional, […]
Museums carry objects that unfortunately are not meant to last forever. Rebecca West, the curator of the Plains Indian Museum, said a Lakota sun bonnet in the Plains Indian Museum Collection represents how curators handle these pieces. “This is an object that probably will never be put on exhibit because the condition is so delicate. […]
Originally published in Points West magazineSummer 2016 Making History: A Tribute to Joe Medicine Crow By Rebecca West Following the April 3, 2016, death of Dr. Joe Medicine Crow, Plains Indian Museum Curator Rebecca West posted a tribute. On the eve of the 38th Annual Plains Indian Museum Powwow in 2019, we share it again. […]
The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Great Plains were known for being horticultural societies. Women utilized burden baskets to carry items like corn, bean, squash, and other wild berries and plants such as turnips back and forth between their villages said Rebecca West. She’s the curator […]
Cody Culture Club kicks off its 2018 season on January 11, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. And, as organizers put it, “If you love Cody, you’re part of the Club!” In a program titled Found (truly never lost!) Objects of the Plains Indian Museum, Curator of Plains Indian Cultures Rebecca […]