Winter 2000

When The New York Times recently asked the National Museum of the American Indian what object in its collection would be most representative 100 years hence, it provided a moment of reflection and contemplation for us. Surprisingly, in this acclaimed collection of more than 800,000 objects that spans a tenfold of millenniums, we quickly determined that a single 20th-century object is our choice. Maria and Julian Martinez’s circa 1930 black-on-black plate boldly symbolizes the vitality of Native cultures and the resurgence that few expected.