The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sequoyah National Research Center is preparing to showcase the exhibit Toy Tipis and Totem Poles: Native American Stereotypes in the Lives of Children.

The exhibit will open beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 5, and it will run through Dec. 19 in the Dr. J.W. Wiggins Native American Art Gallery. The event aims to create awareness of the variety of native cultures and the achievements of contemporary American and Alaskan Indians.

The exhibit comes from the Hirschfelder-Molin Native American Stereotypes Collection, a collection of more than 1,500 museum objects and archival documents. It will highlight the areas of the collection dealing with children and American Indian stereotypes omnipresent in the lives of American children.

The items were donated in 2012 by Arlene Hirschfelder and Paulette Molin, professional educators and authors with decades-long experience in American Indian education and studies.

State Desk on 08/26/2014