The Gifts of Our World
The Gifts of Our World is Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum’s first permanent children’s exhibition, created for children ages 3 to 10, families, caregivers, and school groups.
Inspired by Indigenous perspectives from the Great Lakes, the exhibition invites children to explore gratitude, respect, and reciprocity through play and discovery. Visitors are encouraged to consider the gifts of the natural world, the relationships that connect us, and how we can care for those gifts in return.
Across 14 hands-on activity stations, children can touch, listen, smell, build, create, share, and experiment. Activities encourage young visitors to observe the world around them, appreciate what they have, use only what they need, work together, care for other living beings, and find ways to give back.
The Museum gratefully acknowledges Menominee artists Rain Fernandez, Cedar Fernandez, and Daniel Augustin Grignon, whose artwork and cultural guidance helped shape the exhibition, and Sergio Ceron (Otomi-Pame), who painted the gallery’s ceiling mural.
The Gifts of Our World was developed in partnership with Kohl Children’s Museum and the Korean Cultural Center as part of Developing Respectful Citizens for a Diverse Country, an initiative exploring gratitude and respect through different cultural perspectives.
