Spirit of a Native Place

A beautifully illustrated tour of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of the American Indian, which opened in 2004 in Washington, D.C., presents a collection of essays that describe the long process through which the museum came to life, the design and construction of the buildings, highlights of its remarkable collections, and descriptions of it

Duane Blue Spruce, (Laguna Pueblo) an architect and member of the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers, served as primary liaison between the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and the design team that built the museum on the National Mall. Before joining the museum staff in 1993, Duane worked as an assistant project manager at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He lives near Washington, D.C., with his wife, Ida Marx Blue Spruce, and their children, Miles and Milena.