We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for much of the information on this page. We share information and images with Wikipedia. To quote the Smoki Museum's Mission Statement: "The Mission of the Smoki Museum is to instill an understanding and respect for indigenous cultures of the Southwest." The Smoki Museum was built in 1935 of native stones and wood. It was constructed an Indian Pueblo, similar to the ones scattered about in the Southwest United States. Especially in Arizona. In 1880 the United States Congress had set up a series of offenses that only Indians could commit. These regulations outlawed Indian religions, the practices of "so-called" medicine men, ceremonies like the Sun Dance, and leaving the reservation without permission. These regulations were in place until 1936. Afraid that these laws would cause the Native American People to lose much of their knowledge of native dances and culture; a group of white, non-indian, citizens in Prescott, Arizona; in 1921 joined together in order to perpetuate the American Indian ceremonies and dances. They called themselves the "Smoki People," (pronounced smoke-eye). The Smoki People held annual pageants at the Yavapai County Fairgrounds, and they often performed at the Prescott Rodeo, They also became a large social organization focused on developing appreciation for Southwest Indian tribes through the Museum and their annual program. Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909[1] � May 29, 1998) was a businessman and five-term United States Senator from Arizona (1953�1965, 1969�1987) and the Republican Party's nominee for president in the 1964 election. Yet, a little know fact about him is that he was a Smoki, and even had the famed "Smoki Tattoo on his hand. Cecil Adams disclosed the following to President Ronald Reagan; when asked about about Barry Goldwater's tattoo: ..."Barry's tattoo is the trademark of the Smoki People, a group that operates out of Prescott, Arizona, and apparently functions as a sort of Boy Scouts for grownups, dedicated to "perpetuating the dances and songs of Southwestern Indians." ..."The tattoo consists of a line of four dots capped by a half circle. Naturally, the design is fraught with symbolism. The first two dots are given after the member participates in his first tribal dance; the third and fourth are given after his next two performances. Apparently fearful of turning their members into giant human pincushions, the Smoki People have set an upper limit of four dots per person. The half-circle is given to "chiefs," but since Barry is only an honorary chief, his half circle has been placed on the high end of the row of dots, rather than the lower end, where it belongs. Goldwater had the first two dots etched on when he was in India during the war (the Big One, that is); the second two were acquired in a Los Angeles tattoo parlor, and the half-circle was applied by the legendary Bruno of Paris." However, by the end of the 1980s, fewer people were applying to join Smoki, and Hopi pressure was starting to build until it climaxed at a protest in 1990. And that ended the Smoki People. The Hopi People still have many hard feelings about the Smoki People. The Smoki Museum was constructed with labor provided by both the Civilian Works Administration, and the Smoki People. Most of the display cases, hand-chiseled furniture and models, inside the museum; were built shortly after the building and actually qualify as antiques today. The museums ethnographic collections include clothing, ornaments and ceremonial paraphernalia from the Sioux, Apache and Woodland Indians. There is also an extensive collection of baskets on display from the local Yavapai, Apache, Pima, Tohono O'odham and Seri tribes as well as, various tribes from California. The Smoki Museum's art collection includes numerous oil & watercolor paintings, charcoal drawings, and hundreds of Hopi Nation photographs by Kate Cory. The Smoki Museum library contains about 600 volumes of books, concerning Native American prehistory and ethnography. Smoki Museum Hours & Fees: Admission Fees: Adult � $7 Senior-$6 Student [with ID] � $5 Children [Under 12] � 0 Museum Hours - Open Year Round � Mondays through Saturdays: 10 AM - 4 PM � Sunday:1PM - 4 PM � Open Labor Day, 10 AM - 4 PM � Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, December 31 & Easter � Open Dec. 24th -10 AM - 1 PM only � Closed Dec 29th to Jan 11th, 2012 for Annual Cleaning and Repair � If weather restricts travel, call the Museum to see if it is open. Note: Prescott is the home of three museums that describe the culture of the area. Here are Links to their websites. They are the Phippen Museum, the Sharlot Hall Museum, and the Smoki Museum.

If you are planning to visit Prescott and the Prescott area and you are coming from outside of Arizona, you could fly into Phoenix and then rent a car. Prescott is a little over a 2 hour drive from Phoenix off of the scenic I-17 route by taking Arizona 69. There are hotels and motels all along the way in nearby towns. We have some links to Priceline.com on this page since they can arrange all of your air flights, hotels and car. You may need some outdoor clothing and equipment, if you plan to visit the Prescott or Sedona area. We have some links to Altrec on this page since they are a good online source for outdoor gear. The IHG Link will take you to hotels within the Prescott City Limits. We of course, appreciate your use of the advertising on our pages, since it helps us to keep this page active.

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