NONAM Nordamerika Native Museum

About the museum

The NONAM, one of the few museums in Europe devoted exclusively to the Indigenous cultures of North America, opened in February 1963 as the “Indianermuseum der Stadt Zürich” in the Schulhaus Feld in Aussersihl. It was based on the collection of the Zurich teacher Gottfried Hotz and his wife Martha; he headed the museum until 1977. He was followed by Hans Läng, who was particularly concerned with the Zurich painter Karl Bodmer, and from 1993 by Denise Daenzer, who initiated a reorientation with special exhibitions, collaborations and cooperation with Indigenous people.

After 37 years of provisional accommodation in the school building, the city began looking for a new location in 2000. In February 2003 the museum celebrated its reopening in Zurich's Seefeld district under the new name Nordamerika Native Museum; the name distances itself from a problematic notion of “Indians” and also opened the museum to other cultures such as the Inuit.

Today the NONAM is a cultural institution of the City of Zurich. The collection comprises art and artefacts from four centuries, including feather headdresses, pipes, a painted elk robe of the Pawnee, a hunting coat of the Naskapi from around 1700 and Karl Bodmer's hand-coloured copper engravings; the focus is now on contemporary Indigenous art from Canada and the USA. The museum carries out provenance research, for example on the Hopi collection, and supports Indigenous artists.

Highlights

• Collection exhibition through six regions of North America from the Arctic to the Southwest
• Bodmer Gallery with copper engravings by the Zurich painter Karl Bodmer
• Sound room with the acoustic worlds of Indigenous cultures
• Contemporary Indigenous art and special exhibitions
• Museum shop and café with Indigenous handicrafts
• Children's birthday parties and a museum trail for families

Permanent exhibitions

• Sammlungsausstellung – A museum trail leads through the Plains and Prairies, the Northeast Woodlands, the Subarctic, the Arctic, the Northwest Coast and the Southwest of the USA, showing the art and cultures of First Nations, Inuit, Native Americans and Native Alaskans.
• Bodmer-Galerie – A small selection of hand-coloured copper engravings by the Zurich painter Karl Bodmer from his North American journey of 1832 to 1834, which changes for conservation reasons, complemented by audio stations.

Founded

1963

Operated by

Stadt Zürich (Schul- und Sportdepartement)

Director

Heidrun Löb (Leitende Kuratorin)

Admission & discounts

Free admission with the Swiss Museum Pass, for members of ICOM and VMS, with the Raiffeisen Member Plus Card, the KulturLegi (plus 10% discount in the shop), the ZürichCard, the ZVV Ferienpass and ZVV Actionpass, with TIM guides including a companion, for people with status S, N or F, for holders of the official press card and for members of the support association amerindias (annual card).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum describes access as barrier-free; for arrival, getting off at the Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen stop is recommended. In the courtyard in front of the entrance there is a disabled parking space and an accessible toilet, and a museum wheelchair can be used. Admission is free for companions, and guide dogs are welcome. Further information via Ginto and the Procap access monitor.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum trail “Of Foreign Feathers and Other Stories” invites children and families on a self-guided tour through the collection exhibition. There are also family afternoons, holiday activities for children and the option of celebrating children's birthday parties at the museum.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Museum shop with unique handcrafted items from the Indigenous cultures of North America, products from Indigenous-run businesses and publications, as well as a café; the shop and café can also be visited without museum admission.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit