The center, like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian that followed it in 2004, were breakthrough museums, providing a contemporary perspective on Native American history and culture — a perspective that was rarely the subject of prominent displays before. Plenty of museums included Native American exhibits, but often with a crude, written-by-the-victors feel; mainstream museums are now much more sensitive, but places like the Pequot museum led the way.

With Foxwoods on the ropes, the tribe can no longer support unnecessary luxuries, such as the six-figure payouts that were issued to tribal members during the casino’s heyday. Like those payments, building a huge museum in a rural area might not have been a smart economic decision either. Now that the museum exists, though, it would be a shame for New England to lose it. Luring museumgoers to rural Connecticut might not be easy, but its location on the reservation is part of its appeal. If the tribe can no longer fund the museum on its own, education nonprofits should offer to help.