My first time at … NONAM

Editor Eva Hediger

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Between childlike curiosity and stereotypes: The North American Native Museum presents the indigenous societies of North America in a nuanced and accessible way.

“Did they all live in a tent?” Questions like this inevitably crop up sooner or later. Anyone who spends time with children under the age of six will be familiar with this. Indigenous societies of North America are fascinating, yet they are often portrayed in a distorted light. Many books are outdated; even new editions still rely on stereotypes and obsolete terminology.

Anyone looking for more up-to-date answers will find them in Zurich. Here, one of the few museums in Europe is dedicated exclusively to the indigenous societies of North America: the North American Native Museum. It sees itself as a place for a nuanced exploration of a subject that has long been shaped by clichés. The building is somewhat tucked away on the outskirts of the city; from the Tiefenbrunnen stop, it is a six-minute walk to a rather inconspicuous rear entrance.

Inside, the museum visit begins in the traditional way: a small café, cloakroom, ticket office and museum shop. Books, jewellery and clothing are available to buy. The good news is that the risk of it being overrun with children is surprisingly low, at least compared to other attractions dedicated to themes popular with children.

A narrow staircase leads to the current special exhibition ‘At the Ice Edge: Travelling in North Greenland’ (until 28 June 2026). A father, a photographer, travels to Greenland with his adult son, a filmmaker. The two Swiss men, Markus and Nils, use their cameras to capture, from their perspective, how people live there: how young men become hunters, how animals are hunted, and the challenges of everyday life. On display are numerous photographs as well as a short documentary film.

Even without understanding the subtitles, the film is accessible to a child. The vast icy landscapes are reminiscent of scenes from picture books. At the same time, familiar things appear: a child cycling through the snow, recognisable packaging, the barking of dogs. Except that here they are not lap dogs, but sled dogs racing across the ice.

It is precisely this mix that makes the exhibition so powerful for children: It depicts a reality of life that differs significantly from their own, without exoticising it – whilst at the same time providing enough points of reference for younger children to find their bearings.

One floor up is the collection display. Fascinating, but less accessible for younger children: much of it requires reading skills, the sound installations in the dark are a bit spooky in places, and the portraits of various artists are in English and rather lengthy. If you explain the content yourself to your increasingly impatient companions, you must be careful not to inadvertently fall into simplistic or stereotypical representations.

For schoolchildren and adults, however, the collection items from various regions and centuries offer plenty of starting points for engaging more deeply with different indigenous cultures. The North American Native Museum visibly addresses this question of perspective: it incorporates contemporary Indigenous viewpoints and critically contextualises historical collections. In this way, the narrative does not remain confined to a purely European perspective.

North American Native Museum, Seefeldstrasse 317, 8008 Zurich
Tue to Sat, 1 pm to 5 pm
Sun, 10 am to 5 pm

Upcoming events at NONAM

Nordamerika Native Museum NONAM

The Tree of Life

Family afternoon with stories, a puzzle rally and more Come along on a journey to the far north! In our new special exhibition, you’ll discover animals that ...

15.11.2026 | 14:00

Nordamerika Native Museum NONAM

The Salmon of the Mist Woman

The mysterious Mist Woman fishes salmon out of the sea using her woven hat. So goes an old Haida tale. For on the north-west coast, salmon are an important ...

22.11.2026 | 14:00

Nordamerika Native Museum NONAM

Beaver fur for glass beads

Beaver pelts for glass beads – there is far more to this exchange than a simple trade transaction. The initial encounters between Indigenous peoples and ...

22.11.2026 | 14:00

Published from Eva Hediger on April 09, 2026.