Smithsonian exhibit heads to local museum

One Smithsonian exhibit specific to Idaho has landed at the Idaho Museum of Natural History for the first time ever, but it will only be here for eight more weeks.

The Smithsonian traveling exhibit is the first of its kind to feature Asian Pacific American history.

The museum’s anthropology collection manager Amber Tews said the exhibit features everything from the Japanese internment camps in Idaho to why Owyhee County is named after the state of Hawai’i.

“It’s pretty exciting because we are a Smithsonian-affiliated museum…and we only get it for ten weeks so it’s here before it heads-off to California, so unless you are planning on traveling to California, you won’t get to see it,” Tews said.

She said the exhibit will also feature real stories from people in the community who experienced these hardships.

For more information on when the exhibit will feature special speakers and field trip times, visit the museum’s website at:http://imnh.isu.edu/home/