From RANDY’L TETON
Tribal Public Affairs
BOISE — Friday, October 12, the Idaho State Museum in Boise celebrated with the five Tribes of Idaho for the re-grand opening/ribbon cutting of the new Origins Gallery that recognizes the first peoples of Idaho.
It started with a flag raising by the Idaho National Guard followed by flag songs by the Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce, and Coeur d’Alene Tribes. Event dignitaries included official representatives from the Idaho State Historical Society Board of Trustees, the five tribe’s leaders, state legislators, and Idaho Governor Butch Otter and Lt. Governor Brad Little.
Fort Hall Business Council Chairman Nathan Small remarked, “We thank our tribal drum group Spring Creek singers for the flag song, our Tribal Liaison’s Velda Racehorse, Randy’L Teton and tribal elders that attended today’s ceremony. We also thank the Idaho State Museum for including our stories in the exhibit. The Boise Valley area is still our home lands and there is a lot of history that is not included in the exhibit but we will continue to work with the Museum staff for future collaborations.”
The Origins gallery introduces the history of Idaho’s five Tribes and the new tribal theater includes five creation stories that each tribe endorsed and worked with the museum staff to produce, narrate and script. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes creation story was narrated by Velda Racehorse and included the Bannock language narrated by tribal elder Louida Ingawanup and music provided by Bryan Hudson.
Randy’L Tetson, a tribal liaison said since 2014, the Idaho State Historical Society worked with the Tribes to create accurate and respectful tribal content for the new exhibitions. The partnership between the Museum and the Tribes is unique and will continue to provide the broad understanding of the role that Idaho’s Tribes have always played, and continue to play, in state history.
The Tribes stories are a key part of the Museum’s overall focus on how Idaho’s “land shaped the people, and the people shaped the land.” The exhibit also includes an interactive water scene, an area to design and create a Parfleche (tribal suitcase made of rawhide), an exhibition on petroglyphs, a contemporary story on our Tribes role in helping the Sockeye salmon endangered species and recovery, the historical/generational trauma and its impact on the Tribes, and a cultural conflict that examines the impact of thousands of Oregon Trail emigrants on tribal homelands, including loss of food sources. Overall, the new museum exhibit is a great addition to public awareness and education of the Tribes history through our eyes. There is also a need for tribal beadwork, suggested tribal books, etc. for the Museum gift shop.
For more information on the Museum go to the website, www.history.idaho.gov and to book a tour email at idahostatemuseum@ishs.idaho.gov. Museum hours are Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.