A new traveling exhibit coming to Isle a la Cache Museum will help visitors educate themselves on contemporary Native life in the United States. 

The “Indige-Facts” exhibit runs from Saturday, Sept. 21, to Sunday, Dec. 8. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Two related programs will be held in conjunction with the exhibit. 

The exhibit raises and answers questions such as: Are Native Americans U.S. citizens? How many Indigenous people live in this country? Do all American Indians live on reservations? What are the right words to describe the people who have always lived here? 

These questions about the lives and experiences of Native peoples are common, but finding answers can be challenging. That is why the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian in Evanston created the traveling exhibit, which is on loan to the Forest Preserve District's Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville. 

The traveling exhibit covers topics ranging from accepted terminology to population size to the sovereign rights of Native people. 

Related programs

Two complementary programs will be offered in conjunction with the exhibit:

No One Ever Sees Indians: Native Americans in Media: 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the museum. The program will be presented by Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Ernest M. Whiteman III. Whiteman is a Northern Arapaho filmmaker, artist, writer and media educator. In this 45-minute presentation, Whiteman will discuss the many representations of Native Americans in media, how far back these depictions go and how these representations inform audiences’ perceptions of Native peoples and issues. The free program is for ages 18 or older. Registration is required by Thursday, Sept. 19; call 815-722-9301 or register online.

Potawatomi Beadwork for Beginners: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at the museum. The class will be led by local artist Samantha Thompson, who will share her connection with beadwork and her Potawatomi heritage. She will provide step-by-step instructions on how to make a beaded creation inspired by traditional Potawatomi designs. All supplies will be provided. The museum will be open after the program to allow guests to view the “Indige-Facts” exhibit. The program costs $5 per person and it is for ages 10 or older. Registration is required by Tuesday, Nov. 12; call 815-722-9301.

Amplifying voices

The exhibit has been updated by its creators to include two new panels that focus on recently passed laws in Illinois that protect Native peoples. It also highlights the fact that the state is now home to a federally recognized Tribe, said Jen Guest, facility supervisor at Isle a la Cache Museum. 

Also, museum staff expanded the exhibit with various works from Native artists and information from other Native organizations, Guest said. 

“We are making a continual effort to work with Native community members and Native organizations while also reaching out to Tribal leaders,” she added. “We are committed to amplifying the voices of Native peoples to share their own cultural histories and stories.”

The exhibit expands Isle a la Cache’s interpretive focus on the 18th-century Fur Trade Era, when the Potawatomi exchanged goods and ideas with French voyageurs, said Sara Russell, a Forest Preserve interpretive naturalist. 

“Many visitors see Native Americans frozen in time, never changing or existing in the modern world,” Russell said. The reality is, the fur trade was just a tiny slice of Native history. Native peoples were here; they are still here.” 

The exhibit is brought to Isle a la Cache Museum through the generous support of The Nature Foundation of Will County.