I leased a 3000 sq. ft. space in Sunset Shopping Center that was being used for storage. I had lots of help with the Center as there were registered Native Americans from 38 different tribes. Here are some pictures of the Cultural Center which officially opened in 1998.
Front entry
My tepee prototype. The poles had to be cut short to fit under the ceiling. This tepee now belongs to the Heritage Museum. Later I made 3 more tepees. Several of us women practiced until we could erect a tepee in 30 minutes.
Lounge Area. Health approved kitchen through door where tree is painted on wall.
Meeting area:
Display case:
Talking Leaves Library:
Dance area:
Trading Post:
Skookum Doll display:
Quilting Circle:
To tell you a little about the American Indian Cultural Center: we were open 6 days a week from 9 am until 6 pm. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Quilt Circle met and worked on quilts that were listed for sale on eBay. This started my journey on eBay. We had a state health-approved kitchen and often prepared meals and food for pow wows and performances of the Kwahadi Dancers.
We had a library we called “Talking Leaves” because long ago, Indians called books talking leaves. In the library, Edwina helped people search their Indian heritage. In the secure display case, we had monthly themes and changed the displays. We were so pleased that Panhandle Plains Museum trusted us with some of their valuable items for display after testing for humidity and lighting.
In the Trading Post, various artists displayed and sold their creations, which not only helped the artists, but a small percentage helped pay the rent. We hosted several pow wows and Kwahadi Dancers performances. When the AICC closed, the Kwahadi Heritage carried on with the opening of their beautiful museum:
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