Come enjoy lunch at the Kinship Cafe and tour the museum for free all day, Mother's Day.  Thanks, Mom.  Kwathlanúushamash,Íithla.

PEPSI PRIMETIME @ THE MUSEUM--Lan Wong of Petits Noir of Milton-Freewater will share samples of chocolate from various geographical areas along with the history of chocolate and its origins in prehistoric mesoAmerica. 

The seasonal opening of Naamí Nisháycht, Our Village, begins the weekend of Memorial Day and is open through the weekend of Labor Day.  View replicas of traditional prehistoric structures of Plateau Indian people.  Watch for the Village calendar of events and activities.

Visit the Tamastslikt museum with free admission every first Friday of the month.  Blue Mountain Wildlife will exhibit live birds of prey from 11am to 3pm on First Fridays.  From 11am to 2 pm, Kinship Cafe will serve delicious Indian tacos.  Tamastslikt is offering a free craft workshop from 10am to noon every First Friday.  The newest addition to First Friday is scheduled tours at 10am and 3pm, when a skilled interpreter will guide visitors through the museum.  No need to make a reservation; just show up!

Joey Lavadour, Walla Walla elder, epitomizes the modern tribal artist.  He has mastered the exacting techniques of the twining-weaving method of ancient Plateau weavers who worked with Indian hemp and other natural materials.  Lavadour works with Pendleton woolen mills wool and hemp twine to produce stunning traditional and modern motifs.

Come enjoy lunch in the Kinship Cafe in honor of fathers everywhere.  Free admission to the museum for the whole family--Thank you, Dad--Qeciyeew'yew, Tota.

PEPSI PRIMETIME @ THE MUSEUM--Come meet master weaver Joey Lavadour as he demonstrates his skills with the turns and the twists of the traditional bag weaving method.  Joey and his fellow bag-weaving friends will demonstrate their techniques.  Come enjoy visiting and Pepsi refreshments.  The public is invited to drop by and have a look. 

BEHIND-THE-SCENES BASKET TOUR with Collections Curator Randall Melton.  Tamastslikt possesses a collection of baskets woven in the traditional Plateau manner that are not on display in the exhibit.  Mr. Melton will conduct a guided tour of wonderful treasures from the vault.  This is one of a series of COMMUNITY ACADEMY presentations that will be conducted at 3 month intervals throughout the year.  Community Academy is a periodic offering for community members by community members, based on the interests of the community.  No need to pre-register.

PEPSI PRIMETIME @ THE MUSEUM--On Saturday, July 28, 1pm, Pepsi Primetime @ the Museum event, a Basketry Panel will be convened to discuss ‘The Care and Fostering of Plateau Weaving’.  Weavers and aficionados will discuss Plateau-style weaving.  Among the panelists, Mary Dodds Schlick, author of ‘Columbia River Basketry:  Gift of the Ancestors, Gift of the Earth’, will share her knowledge about what weaving represents in the tribal world. Pat Courtney-Gold, Wasco-Tlingit, will discuss the state of the weaving world from her vantage point. 

PEPSI PRIMETIME @ THE MUSEUM--CHARLIE'S YARNS, a performance of Charles M. Russell's stories by Raphael Cristy, has been highly acclaimed across the nation.  Shy among strangers, the famed sculptor-painter was a brilliant storyteller when spinning yarns among friends.  Russell's friend Will Rogers wrote, "...Bret Harte, Mark Twain, or any of our old traditions couldn't paint a word picture with the originality that Charlie could...."  Raphael Cristy has performed Charlie's Yarns since 1976, finding that modern audiences enjoy the same tales as were told 100 years ago.  Stories are accompanied by visuals of Russell's paintings and sculptures.  Dr. Cristy recently published his research in a book, Charles M. Russell, The Storyteller's Art.  Watch this space for the details of location and time of the performance.

CHARLES M. RUSSELL, Master of Western Art--Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington are generally considered the top contemporary western artists of all time, and Tamástslikt will have the great fortune of showing the works and telling the story of the working life of Charles Russell.  His work will be displayed with 24 examples of his paintings and 20  bronzes. The exhibit chronicles his life as well, with over 40 photographs and dozens of book excerpts.  

C.M. Russell completed approximately 4,000 works of art during his lifetime.  He was the first 'western' artist to live most of his life in the American west.  Russell's intimate knowledge of his subject matter set the paradigm for iconic images of the western identity.

Born in St. Louis, Charles Russell (1864-1926) moved to the Judith Basin of Montana in 1880 a few days after his 16th birthday.  He worked as a cowboy and wrangler for many years before assuming a full-time art career.  The life he witnessed  greatly influenced his art.  He spent the summer of 1888 visiting the Blood Indians in Alberta, Canada, an experience that affected him for the rest of his life.  His admiration of the North American Plains Indian was reflected in many detailed works.  Russell painted at a time when there was great interest in the West. His works were popular because of their narrative subject matter, unique style, and dynamic action. Serendipity placed him in the position to depict historic events with great style.

TOTS TO TWELVE year-old children are invited to participate in the Village's closing event, the KIDZ POW WOW

NATIVE KIDS RIDE BIKES is an exhibition of lowrider bicycles created by urban native youth, contemporary indigenous artists and non-native college students.  Using Anishinaabeg,Métis, and Cayuse knowledge as imparted by the lead artists, this exhibition uses the bicycle to reflect upon sustainable transportation and contemporary indigenous ways of life.  It is based on a project funded through a National Museum of the American Indians' Artist Leadership Grant.  Artist/Curator Dylan Miner considers the main art work to be the collaboration of artists and community, embodying seven core indigenous values--wisdom, love, respect, bravery, truth, humility, and honesty.  Miner is a border-crossing Métis with roots in the historic Canadian aboriginal communities.  He coordinates the Michigan Native Arts Initiative as a professor at Michigan State university and a curator at its museum. Local tribal member, Andrew Wild Bill, participated in the project. 

Watch and listen for Spilyáy, the magical Coyote of Legend-Time. Find Spilyáy in Tamástslikt’s major galleries: We Were, We Are and We Will Be. Tamástslikt is a storyline museum and therefore does not merely document artifacts. In the SEASONAL ROUND, the Natítayt (the people) follow the pre-contact lifestyle of subsistence in the abundant natural world, reflecting its balance and order. Ambient sounds take the visitor to another time. Visitors will hear horses rumbling across the grassy plateau, storytellers in the winter lodge, the bell and worshipers in the church. They will hear a recreation of the 1855 Treaty Council of Walla Walla in the tribal language. Audio, artistry and historic images, rare and beautiful artifacts create a broad sensory experience depicting our Tribal world.

WELCOME--We're glad you are here.  American Indians didn't live only in the past. Tribal people have survived and thrive in the contemporary world. Cháwna mun na’ámta--We will never fade. WE ARE features our resilient people as soldiers and warriors, players in tribal government and the economy, leaders in salmon recovery success, balancing the modern with tradition, and still abiding by the Law of the Salmon.

Dreams, visions, hopes and concerns of the tribal community are voiced in WE WILL BE.

The 10-minute introductory Coyote Theater is open for visitors to enjoy. Spilyáy, the magical coyote dominates the story, expressing wisdom and foolishness in a comic exposition of how the world came to be as it is today. Witness Spilyay as he vanquishes the forces of destruction and saves the traditional foods for the Natítyayt.  On days other than First Friday, the Coyote Theater is accessible with admission.

From October through March, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute museum, store, and cafe are closed on Sundays.  From April through September, Tamastslikt operates on a 7-day business week, 9am-5pm.