Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum

Name: Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum
Address: 3001 Central Street, Evanston, IL, 60201, US
Telephone: (847) 475-1030
Price range: $

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Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum

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🗣️ Pronounced “Gi-che-gah-meen”
🌱 Native-led museum celebrating Great Lakes Indigenous cultures | fka Mitchell Museum
🎉 Garden & New exhibits OPEN NOW

10/20/2026

Look up. 🌌

Our library ceiling is now home to a map of the night sky, told through Potawatomi star knowledge.

The Potawatomi Constellations mural was designed by Kyle Malott (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) and painted and scaled by Sergio Ceron (Otomi-Pame). Each figure above carries a story, and a guide book in the library helps you learn the stories behind the constellations.

is an artist from Elgin, IL, whose work spans painting, beading and bone carving, and he's also a powwow singer. If his brushwork looks familiar, that's because Sergio also painted the ceiling mural in The Gifts of Our World, our new hands-on exhibition for kids. 🌲

Next time you visit, take a seat in the library, browse our Native-authored books, or ask for a blanket so you can lie down, look up and take in the view. ✨

See this mural in person at...
📍 3001 Central St., Evanston

We're so grateful that we've been receiving lots of book donations to the library since Indigenous Peoples' Day. Miigwech, wado, and thank you for your support!

Plan your visit and support our library at the link in bio.

10/19/2026

Who should care for Indigenous belongings, and how? 🧐

Here's a peek inside Belonging: Restitution, Dignity, and Radical Care in Collections.

Since 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) has required the return of Native ancestors, funerary items, sacred objects, and items of cultural patrimony held in collections across the U.S., and it’s since been strengthened to uphold Tribal sovereignty over them, wherever they’re housed.

But this exhibition asks what’s possible beyond the law. When museums care for Indigenous belongings with intention, sacred items can return to ceremony, communities can reclaim their cultural heritage, and relationships once broken by taking can begin to heal. Belonging walks through the repatriation process, from discovery to consultation, claim, and return, and shows how dignity, accountability, and respect can lead the way.

For us, this work is personal. We believe our collection does not belong to the museum, and we’re committed to returning culturally and spiritually significant items to their communities of origin, and to being a model for what museums can become.

📍 On view now | 3001 Central St., Evanston
Plan your visit at the link in bio. See you soon!

10/14/2026

More than 700 of you showed up to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day!

Kids played and learned in The Gifts of Our World, elders gathered in our library, friends explored 500+ years of Native history, and the room filled for Aloha Center Chicago’s special Hula presentations, a crowd favorite all day long. 🌺

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a day we’ve reclaimed, to honor Native people past, present and future, and to celebrate the cultures, knowledge and communities that are still here and still thriving. Thank you for celebrating it with us.

Mahalo to Aloha Center Chicago ACC for sharing Pū Kani, Protocol Mele and Hula with us, and miigwech to every guest, volunteer and partner who made the day so special.

Didn’t make it on Monday? There’s still so much to explore. Plan your visit at the link in bio!

Joined us on Monday? It was so good to see you!

Keep coming back all year long with a membership. Members enjoy free admission, and can borrow books from our library of Native-authored books to keep the learning going at home. 📚

Memberships start at just $40/year. Join on our website!

10/13/2026

Hula has a home in Chicago. 🌺

Swipe through for a peek at Chicago's Legacy Hula - The Kaona: The Hidden Stories and Historical Events of Hawaiians in Chicago. This exhibition honors four Kumu Hula, or master teachers, who carried Hula forward as a living tradition right here in the city.

Developed by Aloha Center Chicago ACC and the Field Museum, where it was previously on view, the exhibition was co-curated by Native Hawaiian community members. , a cultural resource center dedicated to Native Hawaiian and South Pacific traditional arts, has been our neighbor and partner since 2024.

📍 On view for a limited time only, so don't wait!
3001 Central Street | Evanston, IL

Plan your visit at the link in bio.

10/11/2026

Indigenous Peoples' Day is Monday, and admission to the museum is FREE all day! 🍂

Swipe for 4 ways to celebrate with us, from hands-on play for kids to 500+ years of Chicago's Native history, the hidden stories of Hula in Chicago, and a closer look at repatriation and care in museums.

🌺 BONUS! Don’t miss special presentations from Aloha Center Chicago ACC of Pū Kani (Blowing of the Conch) and Protocol Mele and Hula at 12:00, 2:00 and 4:00 p.m., honoring the generations who have kept Hula alive in Chicago for more than 130 years.

Bring your friends and family to honor the culture and history of Native people past, present, and future.

📍 3001 Central St., Evanston
See you there!

10/08/2026

Chicago has always been a Native place. 🌊

Swipe through for a peek at the stories told in Indigenous Chicago, an exhibition tracing more than 500 years of Native history in the region. It explores the histories of the Potawatomi, Odawa, Ojibwe, Menominee, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Myaamia, Wea, Sauk, Meskwaki, Ho-Chunk, Kickapoo and Mascouten peoples, whose homelands include Chicago, and of the urban Native community that calls the city home today.

Drawing on the Newberry Library's Ayer Indigenous Studies Collection alongside new work by Native artists, the exhibition centers Indigenous voices, examines the effects of settler colonialism, and imagines Indigenous futures.

Look for commissioned regalia by Camille "Katahtu'ntha" Billie (Oneida and Diné), a graphic novel by Jim Terry (Ho-Chunk), and teaching blankets by Jason Wesaw (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi).

First shown at the Newberry Library in 2024, Indigenous Chicago was developed by the Newberry's D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies over five years of collaboration with Tribal nations and the Chicago Native community.

📍 On view for the next three years.

Plan your visit at the link in bio.

🍂 Join us for Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, October 12, with FREE admission to the museum all day.

10/07/2026

Miigwech to the Chicago Tribune and journalist, Andis Robeznieks, for highlighting this exciting chapter and our journey so far! 📰💙

In their article, Chicago Tribune shares the story behind our new name, our Indigenous-led leadership, and our commitment to Indigenous-centered history and storytelling that doesn't stay in the past but honors who we are now.

Look up the full article on the Chicago Tribune to read more about our transformation.

Then come see it for yourself! Our newly reopened galleries feature The Gifts of Our World, Indigenous Chicago, Chicago's Legacy Hula - The Kaona, and Belonging.

Plan your visit at the link in bio.

🍂 Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with us on Monday, October 12, with FREE admission to the museum all day.

10/06/2026

Make the sun rise, call in the wind, and bring on the rain! 🌞🌬️🌧️

Meet The Gifts of Our World, our new hands-on exhibition for children ages 3 to 10. Step inside a wraparound Great Lakes forest mural featuring traditional woodland motifs and designs by Menominee Nation youth artists, and explore 14 interactive stations, including a weather wall, a puzzle you can only finish by trading pieces with friends, and chalkboards for sharing what you're thankful for. Little learners can also discover the Seven Grandfather teachings of the Anishinaabe people.

The exhibition was created through "Developing Respectful Citizens in a Diverse Country," a project led by Kohl Children's MuseumK with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum and the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, made possible by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

📍 This is a permanent exhibition, so come play again and again!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Make it a family tradition with a Family Membership! Members get unlimited access to our kids' spaces, plus borrowing privileges at our library, home to an abundance of children's books.

Plan your visit or become a member at the link in bio.

🍂 Don't miss our Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration on Monday, October 12, with FREE admission to the museum all day.

10/04/2026

📣📣 Indigenous Peoples' Day - Free Day 📣📣

Monday, October 12 | FREE admission all day at 3001 Central St., Evanston

Indigenous Peoples' Day honors the culture and history of Native people past, present, and future. Celebrate with us at the museum, and bring your friends and family to experience the diversity, vibrancy, and resilience of Indigenous cultures.

It's also the perfect day to explore our newly opened exhibits:

🌎 The Gifts of Our World, our new hands-on exhibition for kids ages 3 to 10, created with Kohl Children's Museum

🏙️ Indigenous Chicago, tracing 500+ years of Native history in the region, with the Newberry Library

🌺 Chicago's Legacy Hula - The Kaona, the hidden stories of Hawaiians in Chicago, from Aloha Center Chicago and the Field Museum

🪶 Belonging: Restitution, Dignity, and Radical Care in Collections, exploring repatriation and how museums and Tribal communities can care for Indigenous belongings with dignity and respect

Mark your calendars! Full schedule of the day coming soon.

10/01/2026

WE ARE OPEN! 🎉

After a summer of Indigenous-led renovation and exhibit development, our doors are officially open again, and we can't wait to welcome you back to 3001 Central St. in Evanston.

Stop by today and explore three new exhibitions:

🌲 The Gifts of Our World: a hands-on space for kids ages 3 to 10, created with Kohl Children's Museum

🏙️ Indigenous Chicago: more than 500 years of Native history in the region, with the Newberry Library

🌺 Chicago's Legacy Hula – The Kaona: the hidden stories of Hawaiians in Chicago, from Aloha Center Chicago and the Field Museum

🪶 Belonging: Restitution, Dignity, and Radical Care in Collections: an exploration of repatriation since NAGPRA, and how dignity, accountability and respect can guide museums and Tribal communities toward better ways of caring for Indigenous belongings

While you're here, take a stroll through our Indigenous garden, filled with native plants, medicines and foods that reflect traditional relationships with the land.

This moment belongs to everyone who made it possible: our staff, board, artists, Tribal nations, community advisors and partners. Miigwech (thank you) for walking this path with us. 💙

Hours and admission hours at the link in bio. See you soon!

Address

3001 Central Street
Evanston, IL
60201

Telephone

(847) 475-1030

Website

https://linktr.ee/Gichigamiinmuseum, https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/29/gichigamiin-museum-evanston-native-great-

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