Entrance of the Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Center in Toppenish

Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Center

Photo: Helen Agnadopoulou via Google Maps

The Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Center in Toppenish, at Highway 97 and Buster Road, is run by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and tells the story of the Yakama people in their own voice. Its exhibits, in the museum’s words, take you “from time immemorial, through the world of our ancestors” and bring you to the present.

The museum opened in 1980 and calls itself one of the oldest Native American museums in the United States. It anchors a campus that also includes a gift shop, the Heritage Theater, the Yakama Nation Library and the iconic Winter Lodge. If you are driving Highway 97 through the Yakima Valley, it adds real depth to everything else you will see on the reservation and beyond.

What You’ll See

The heart of the museum is its exhibition hall, where large dioramas and exhibits use dramatic visuals and recorded voices to carry you through Yakama history. You will see depictions of Plateau dwellings, traditional art and cultural treasures, drawn from archaeological, ethnographic, photographic, art, media and paper collections.

  • The Treaty of 1855: an exhibit on the treaty signed on June 9, 1855, which confederated 14 tribes and bands into the Yakama Nation and was ratified in 1859.
  • The Nipo Strongheart Collection: rare books, historic photographs and Indigenous artifacts.
  • The Winter Lodge: the campus’s signature building, which the Nation also makes available for gatherings and events.

The Story Behind It

The Yakama Nation describes its original homeland as about 10.8 million acres; the Treaty of 1855 reduced it to a reservation of about 1.3 million acres. That treaty is the basis of the Nation’s federal recognition, and the museum explains it in detail. Even the Nation’s name carries history: by tribal resolution it adopted the spelling “Yakama” in 1994 and removed the word “Indian” from its official name in 1999.

The museum, as the Nation describes it, exists to preserve, protect and care for artifacts and archival photos on behalf of the Yakama people, and its exhibits are meant both to educate the public and to foster pride among tribal members. The Yakama Nation Library on the same campus has served the community since 1982, with Plateau cultural materials alongside general collections.

Tips for Your Visit

  • Leave time for the gift shop and the library, both on the same campus as the museum.
  • The Heritage Theater on campus shows first run movies, family favorites and special screenings, so you can turn a museum visit into an evening out.
  • Check the website or call ahead for current hours and admission, and look at the campus calendar for special events.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 100 Spiel-yi Loop, Toppenish, WA 98948
Phone: 509.865.2800
Website: yakamamuseum.com
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps