You’ll find an impressive display of Native American wealth at the Museum at Warm Springs (541/553-3331, www.museumatwarmsprings.org [1], 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily Apr.–Oct., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Wed.–Sun. Nov.–Mar., $7 adults, $6 seniors, $4.50 teens, $3.50 children), located just east of the town of Warm Springs below the viewpoint at the bottom of the Deschutes River Canyon.
Audiovisual displays, old photos, and tapes of traditional chants of the Paiute, Warm Springs, and Wasco peoples (the three groups that live on the Warm Springs Reservation [2]) are aesthetically arrayed. Each group’s distinct culture, along with the thriving social and economic community they collectively formed, constitutes the major themes of this museum.
Replicas of a Paiute mat lodge, a Warm Springs tepee, and a Wasco plank house, along with recordings of each group’s language, underscore the cultural richness and diversity of the area’s original inhabitants.
The exhibits, culled from a collection of more than 20,000 artifacts, range from primitive prehistoric hand tools to a high-tech push-button-activated Wasco wedding scene. Native American foodstuffs and art are on sale in the bookstore.
Links:
[1] http://www.museumatwarmsprings.org
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/oregon/central-oregon/warm-springs-and-lower-deschutes-river/warm-springs-indian-reservation