Heritage day at NMAI

Native American Heritage Day at National museumPeople who live within driving distance of Washington, D.C., have created a new tradition of visiting the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian on the day after Thanksgiving.

That Friday is marked across the nation by trips to shopping malls, but last year 10,508 people visited, making it the museum’s busiest day of the year at NMAI.

This year the museum will also commemorate the first Native American Heritage Day. The heritage day was established last month by Congress to encourage recognition of tribal government, celebrate Native cultures and languages and to acknowledge “the rich Native American cultural legacy.”

The museum plans to give away thousands of buttons for Native American Heritage Day. Extra staff including museum managers will be on the floor greeting families.