Monument Museum of American Indigenous Cultures (MMAIC)

Inspired by the prehistoric spiritual site of the Great Medicine Wheel in Wyoming, we have laid the foundation of a new design with mythological and spiritual elements from indigenous traditions and beliefs. These are spiritual traditions presented not as Western academic propositions, but as the very principles of a person's relationship with the sacred world, the sacred entities of air, fire, water, and earth, and above all, the Great Spirit. We envisioned a place for this spiritual synergy and manifested this complex of rituals, beliefs, and traditions into an indigenous shrine, which we call the Monument Museum of American Indigenous Cultures. Along with the spiritual cultures of the indigenous people, the design complex presents another vast and dramatic exposition, the long and harsh history of European colonization and occupation, which led to one of the worst genocides in human history. The Monument Shrine is dedicated to the memory and celebration of all indigenous ancestors who suffered and persevered through 500 years of foreign occupation, wars, genocide, exile, and reservations. Millions of lives were lost. Yet by the power and wisdom of their ancestral spirit, the indigenous world overcame and continues to overcome humanity's greatest trials and tribulations. The Monument Shrine will celebrate this indigenous life and sovereignty, peace and harmony with the living world, Mother Earth, and the creator of all.