The collections of the former Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, form the cornerstone of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian . Works on paper and canvas include Plains ledger drawings as well as contemporary prints and paintings. NMAI's collections include materials not only of cultural, historical, and aesthetic interest, but also of spiritual significance. Funerary, religious, and ceremonial objects associated with living cultures are displayed only with the approval of the appropriate tribes.
Repatriation is another important concern being addressed by the museum.
Human remains and funerary objects, religious and ceremonial artifacts, communally owned tribal property, or any holdings acquired illegally are returned upon request to individual descendants or tribal groups who can demonstrate a cultural affiliation and factual claim to the property in question. For more information about George G. Heye, please visit the Smithsonian Magazine site to view an article about Heye by Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lawrence M. Small, in the November 2000 issue. Photo Archive George Gustav Heye collected not only material objects made by Native Americans but also photographs documenting the artifacts, dress, daily habits, and ceremonial life of the peoples he encountered. From his earliest endeavors, Heye considered photography to be an important tool for collecting information about the Indian cultures that many Americans then thought were becoming obscured by new and more dominant political, social, and spiritual institutions. Over time the archive grew as Heye solicited and purchased images from photographers, anthropologists, and private collectors.