Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian
20th-Anniversary Gala, October 7, 2009
Click here for an image slideshow of the Gala Reception.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) would like to thank all the supporters of the 20th-Anniversary Gala, which commemorated four landmark anniversaries—the 20th anniversary of the legislation that created the NMAI, the 15th anniversary of the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City, the 10th anniversary of the Cultural Resources Center in Maryland, and the 5th anniversary of the Mall Museum in Washington, D.C.
The NMAI also congratulates its first Prism Awardees, Maria Hinton (Oneida of Wisconsin) and Irving Nelson (Navajo), both of whom have demonstrated extraordinary and ongoing commitment, ingenuity, and energy in service to their tribal communities. Maria and Irving have labored tirelessly and largely anonymously to improve the lives of their fellow community members in some way, even in a small way. Their work embodies the meaning of “community service.” For more information about them and the award, please see the Prism Award Winners press release.
We would like to thank all of the special guests who helped make the evening what it was: Senators Daniel K. Inouye and Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the honorees who pushed the museum’s legislation into public law twenty years ago; Hattie Kauffman of CBS News for being the evening’s fabulous emcee; Buffy Sainte-Marie for lending her voice in song; The Métis Fiddler Quartet, the Arizona California Territorial Bird Singers, and InKompliant for providing music throughout the evening.
To see more photos from the Gala, please go to the NMAI Facebook page and if you’re not a friend, please become one.
We also thank those who would like to continue supporting the NMAI anniversaries. Patrons may click here if they wish to make a donation.
SPONSORS
PLATINUM ($250,000)
- San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
- Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
GOLD ($100,000)
- Richard O. Ullman Family Foundation
SILVER ($50,000)
- Accenture
COPPER ($25,000)
- George Gund & Iara Lee
- Morongo Band of Mission Indians
- Pechanga Band of LuiseÑo Indians
- Sealaska Corporation
- University of Phoenix
VIP ($1,000)
- Betsy and Clifford Alexander
- AndersonTuell, LLP
- Lawrence B. Benenson
- Mr. and Mrs. Howard R. Berlin
- Carnival Foundation
- Cayuse Technologies
- Chickasaw Nation
- CIRI
- Clark Construction Group, LLC
- Jean Rainey Coffin
- Valerie and Charles Diker
- EOP Group, Inc.
- John and Margot Ernst
- Brian and Vivian Henderson
- Holland and Knight
- Indian Pueblo Marketing, Inc.
- Joseph P. Kalt
- Ms. Kristina Kiehl and Mr. Robert E. Friedman
- Loren and Anne Kieve
- Liz Hill Public Relations, Ltd.
- Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
- Patricia Halpin Morris
- Native American Rights Fund
- Mrs. Paul M. Niebell, Sr.
- Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
- Freda Porter, Ph.D.
- Benita and Stephen Potters
- Pueblo of Pojoaque
- Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe
- Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians
- Seminole Tribe of Florida
- Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota
- Shawnee Development, LLC
- Gregory Smith, Smith & Brown-Yazzie LLP
- Spirit of Sovereignty Foundation
- Joan and Marx Sterne
- Jerry Straus, Hobbs, Straus, Dean and Walker LLP
- Table Mountain Rancheria
- The Avalon Consulting Group, Inc.
- The Walt Disney Company
- Turner Foundation
- Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation
- Randall and Teresa Willis
- Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Ace Beverage
- Beading Demonstrators
- Blueberry Productions
- Holiday Inn Capitol
- Ipolei
- Intertribal Bison Cooperative
- Kodiak Island Wild Source
- Mandarin Oriental
- Marriott Residence Inn
- NMAI Offices of Cultural Arts, External Affairs, Media, Publications, and Web
- Occasions Caterers
- Red Hand Media
- Sault Printing Company
- Smithsonian’s Offices of Protection Services and Facilities Management and Reliability
