The Smithsonian Institution
The NMAIA expands the Smithsonian Institution by authorizing erection of a new museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to house Native American artifacts from the Heye Foundation's Museum of the American Indian. In recognition of the Heye Foundation's origins in New York, the George Gustave Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian was also created by the NMAIA in the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City.
The purpose of the NMAI is threefold:
- To advance the study of Native Americans
- To collect, preserve, and exhibit Native American objects
- To provide for Native American research and study programs
Read more about this topic: National Museum Of American Indian Act
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