Oak Native American Ethnographic Collection

About the Collection

The Oak Native American Ethnographic Collection is on permanent loan from the private collection of Jim and Vanita Oelschlager. The collection contains customary and contemporary Native American art and objects, and ancestral belongings.

Institute staff are working with our Advisory Council and other Indigenous cultural experts to assess our collections and ensure we are working ethically and in compliance with the newest NAGPRA guidelines. Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) is Federal Law that protects Indigenous human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony. Revised regulations went into effect in January 2024.

The Oak Native American Gallery is closed temporarily while we consult with cultural experts and work to create a new exhibition that amplifies voices and perspectives around contemporary and customary Indigenous art, objects, and belongings.

Institute Speaker Series

The Institute for Human Science and Culture Speaker Series features Indigenous experts and scholars discussing the harmful historical collecting practices that brought ancestral belongings into museums and private collections; efforts to reconnect collection items to their communities of origin; and the reparative work of reclaiming communities’ cultural objects.

The Institute Speaker Series began September 11, 2024 with Dr. Meranda Roberts. Our next speaker is Dr. Joe Stahlman, who will speak on April 23, 2025 at 6:00 PM ET. Learn more and RSVP.

The Institute Speaker Series is presented in partnership with Summit Metro Parks.

North American First People's Day

In 2018, the Akron City Council declared the first Monday in October as North American First People’s Day, a day to honor Indigenous history, life and culture. In recognition of this day, the Portage Path Collaborative organizes community events around Summit County. The Institute for Human Science and Culture hosts additional events, including an annual lecture and art exhibition highlighting the work of a contemporary Indigenous educators, scholars, and artists.

The Institute will not be holding any NAFPD events in 2024. The Oak Native American Gallery is currently closed while we consult with cultural experts about the ancestral belongings we steward.