<DIV>Established by an act of Congress in 1989, the SmithsonianGÇÖs National Musuem of the American Indian (NMAI) is dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and the arts of Native Americans. The museumGÇÖs collections span more than 10,000 years and GÇô as this lavishly illustrated miniature volume demonstrates GÇô include a multitlude of fascinating objects, from ancient clay figurines to contemporary Indian paintings, from all over the Americas.</DIV>