As the U.S. hits a major anniversary, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture gathers American imagery with Indigenous origins.
Stars, Stripes, and First Americans
May 17, 2026–March 7, 2027
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe
While the United States is celebrating its 250th anniversary, Stars, Stripes, and First Americans serves as a reminder that Native Americans have only been recognized as its citizens for the past 100 years, and that the Code of Indian Offenses of 1883 forced assimilation by outlawing Native cultural and religious practices. In investigating the American flag in Native American artworks, this exhibition—which occupies a modest, cubicle-like space inside the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture—uncovers surprising and nuanced views of the nation’s symbol throughout history.
Stan Natchez’s (Shoshone/Tataviam) mixed-media artwork We The People (1999) depicts Native Americans dressed in the colors of the American flag layered atop a collage of pages of the U.S. Constitution, with its famous first words “We The People” noticeable in the background. The juxtaposition of images highlights this country’s broken promises and exclusion of Native Americans. Diné artist Andersen Kee’s Diné Code Talker (2000) celebrates the Native American servicemen who used their complicated, unwritten language to help the U.S. evade enemies and win battles during World War II. This work is one of several pieces that underscore the complex and evolving relationship between Native Americans and the American flag over the past two centuries.
A delicately beaded cowhide vest and deerskin pipe bag, each embroidered with an ill-fitting image of the American flag, are the most powerful artworks in the exhibition. They offer evidence of how members of the Lakota tribe continued to practice their customs and create traditional artwork throughout the late 19th century, even under the guise of celebrating Independence Day. These works exhibit a dichotomy between material and content, purpose and appearance. They demonstrate Native Americans’ creativity and resilience, cultivated as a necessary means of survival in the face of colonization.
Stars, Stripes, and First Americans could benefit from a larger footprint to probe the complexities of its chosen topic. But it effectively opens the conversation, highlighting the tragic interplay between symbolism, freedom, and First Americans.
