Multimedia Oneida exhibit at NMAI

Oneida Indian Nation announces new interactive exhibit at Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian

By Alaina PotrikusThe 19-foot bronze sculpture titled âAllies in War, Partners in Peaceâ€depicts Oneida Chief Skenandoah and an Oneida woman, Polly Cooper, with George Washington.

A new multi-media presentation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will give new life to Oneida Indian Nation history, officials announced this morning.

In 2002, the nation committed $10 million to the museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

This morning, Oneida leader Ray Halbritter delivered the eighth $1 million installment of the donation at the Shako:wi Cultural Center on the nation's 32-acre territory off Route 46 in Oneida.

The meeting between Halbritter and museum director Kevin Gover included details of the new exhibit on the museum’s fourth floor, which was named for the Oneida Nation's donation.

The centerpiece will be the existing 19-foot bronze sculpture titled “Allies in War, Partners in Peace.” It depicts Oneida Chief Skenandoah and an Oneida woman, Polly Cooper, with George Washington.

The exhibit will now include an eight-minute multimedia presentation that will fill the entire gallery from floor to ceiling, “immersing the audience within the storytelling montage,” Halbritter said.Comment:  For more on the Oneida Nation, see Oneida Nation Finances Feature Film and Oneida Nation Gives Another $1 Million to NMAI.