EXPERIENCE
NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURAL HERITAGE
Do you shop on Amazon? You can help support the Museum of Culture every time you make a purchase using Amazon Smile!
Step 1: Log into your Amazon account through this link: https://smile.amazon.com
Step 2: Select the Museum of Indian Culture in the charitable organization search bar
Step 3: Shop away, and a portion of your purchase will be donated to the museum! Every item available on Amazon is also available on Amazon Smile at the same price.
COVID-19 UPDATE
The Museum of Indian Culture is committed to ensuring the safety of our community, and will be closed until further notice in compliance with the COVID-19 mandates.
As a small non-profit museum, we rely on our visitors and public events for life sustaining income, so this COVID-19 closure is devastating. We will need our community's help to keep the museum alive.
We truly appreciate any support you can give us during this difficult time. We are looking forward to the day we can safely reopen to the public and continue to offer our educational services to our community.
Who
We
Are
Founded in 1980, the Museum of Indian Culture is a unique member-supported, volunteer run, non-profit resource center for people of all ages to learn about Native American cultures both in the northeast and throughout the western hemisphere. Our mission is to preserve and perpetuate the authentic histories and cultural heritage of Native American peoples. For over 38 years, the museum has offered educational exhibits, programs, and events for the greater Lehigh Valley and beyond. Our services set the standard for Native American education in eastern Pennsylvania.
We have always acknowledged our crucial responsibility to work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples to increase educational resources, community services, and tribal opportunities--especially with those whose ancestral homelands we reside on. In 2020 the museum officially partnered with Delaware Nation from Anadarko, Oklahoma to open an extension of their Historic Preservation Office at the museum. Through this partnership we hope to foster greater public awareness of local Lenape history as well as contemporary Lenape life and culture.
What we know today as Pennsylvania has been part of the Lenape's ancestral homelands since time immemorial. The museum is situated on the beautiful Little Lehigh Parkway, which was an old Lenape trail called the Oley Path. The name "Oley" is believed to be derived from the Lenape word "Olink," which they used to refer to the region as "place surrounded with hills." We encourage visitors to reflect on the history of this place as they enjoy the museum, and the natural landscape of the parkway, which offers additional activities including walking or running the nature trail, bike riding, fishing, birdwatching, or enjoying a peaceful picnic lunch.
Stay tuned for upcoming exhibits, events, and updates on our Roasting Ears of Corn Festival.
Become a member today!
Membership has advantages:
-
Free admission to festivals
-
Free admission to the museum
-
Discounted workshops
-
10% discount on gift shop purchases
Guided Tours
Our Northeastern Woodlands Room showcases the cultural heritage of the Delaware/Lenape Indians and other Northeastern Woodlands tribes. The exhibits include artifacts, cultural items, agricultural tools, trade goods, and interactive hands-on activities like fire-starting kits, pump drills, and atlatls (spear-throwers).
Our Inter-Tribal Room displays a variety of American Indian artistry from throughout the western hemisphere, including beadwork, dolls, basketry, pottery, dance regalia and more from the Southwest, Alaska, Central and South America, and the Midwest.
Educational Programs
The Museum offers a variety of on-site and off-site educational programs for public and private schools, homeschoolers, colleges, youth groups, social groups, businesses, and libraries. Programs are available for all age groups and ability levels, and they are a great way to introduce children and community groups to Native American cultures. A pilot Discovery Box program will soon be available for homeschool families and elementary and middle school groups.
Clair A. Carbonell Native American Research Library
© 2020 Museum of Indian Culture