"It's hard to believe there was a time when it was acceptable to put the skulls of American Indians in boxes lined with green felt and display them in a gas station in southern Idaho.

How would Irish Americans feel having their ancestors presented in such a way, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii asked. He made the point last week during a ceremony in Washington, D.C., celebrating the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.

�We were the first people of the land, and we were maligned and mistreated,'' said Inouye, who introduced legislation in 1989 to create the new $220-million museum."

Get the Story:
A Museum By The (First) People, For (All) The People (The New London Day 9/28)
pwday

Relevant Links:
National Museum of the American Indian - http://www.nmai.si.edu

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