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1. Walk through museum exhibits 2. Various shots of ivory cribbage set shaped like an elk made by Inupiat eskimo in Nome, Alaska circa 1900 3. SOUNDBITE: (English) W. Richard West Jr., museum's founding director and Southern Cheyenne Indian: (Bite opens with museum sign) "The museum opens its doors to the public on September 21st, just a few days away. On the eve of the fall equinox, this new kid on the block, the 18th museum of the Smithsonian Institution, situated at the foot of the US Capitol becomes the first in line of America's grand cultural institutions on the National Mall. Simply stated, the National Museum of the American Indian makes the National Mall a far more complete and inclusive representation of the rich fabric of American heritage." 4. Museum atrium, tilt down to ground floor 5. Entrance to exhibit "Our Universes," UPSOUND drumbeat 6. Stars on ceiling, tilt down to exhibits 7. Woman watching screen in darkened room 8. Two Peruvian statues, one of gold, one of silver 9. Peruvian statue with white face 10. Various of Mexican painted skulls 11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Emil Her Many Horses, curator of "Our Universes" exhibit, Oglala Indian: "It talks about - it establishes who each of the groups are, their philosophy in life, how they're raised, the relationship within their areas and within their world. And it's a reflection of their religious world views." 12. Wall of exhibits showing animal figures 13. Touch screen showing objects in case 14. Painted Mohawk hard hat by Richard Glazer-Danay from Coney Island, New York, 1983 15. Drawer opening to reveal lit interior with other display items 16. Pan of display case from statues to gold objects 17. Gold Chimu mask from Peru circa 1200-1400 18. Pan of unfinished exhibit showing role of guns in Indian life STORYLINE: The finishing touches are being made to the National Museum of the American Indian, which is scheduled to open next week in Washington. The latest addition to the Smithsonian Institution's family of museums and galleries, the museum is the first in the United States to be dedicated exclusively to Native Americans and to present all exhibits from a native perspective. American Indians played crucial roles in the design of the new building, which features curving lines and is reminiscent of adobe Indian dwellings in the American West. The museum is on the National Mall near the US Capitol building, and the founding director, W. Richard West Jr., who is from the Southern Cheyenne tribe, said it would greatly enhance the "fabric of American heritage" on display at the heart of the nation's capital. When the museum is open, about 8,000 objects from the Smithsonian's permanent collection will be on view. The start of the museum's exhibits, titled "Our Universes," focuses on native cosmology and the spiritual relationship between mankind and the natural world. Curator Emil Her Many Horses said eight different cultural groups are represented in the display, ranging from an exploration of the annual ceremonies of native peoples to the celebrations of Peru and Mexico's Day of the Dead. The museum does not ignore difficult issues like hostile relations between Native Americans and white settlers - a still-unfinished display shows guns used by and against American Indians in the past two hundred years. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b2d532f4ae23863998d05f26863a24bb Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork