Cahuila Indian's Agua Caliente Band has donated about $500,000 to the new National Museum of American Indians, and many members of the tribe will fly to Washington later this month for an opening ceremony.

Michael Hammond, executive director of the Agua Caliente Museum of Culture, said, "I think the presence of Agua Caliente will be significant."

Hammond and several of his museum's board members will attend the museum's opening ceremony in Washington starting Sunday.

Agua Caliente is the fifth largest tribal donor to the museum. Two of the biggest donors, the Marsantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes of Connecticut Indians, each donated $10 million. Agua Caliente could not be reached for comment.

Hammond said the Agua Caliente Museum is the only Native American museum belonging to the Smithsonian, giving it the right to borrow for up to 10 years, long enough to build exhibits around it.

"[The National Museum] is the clearinghouse of the tribes' sacred objects," he said. "Our focus is on the history of the Coachella Valley, but from the perspective of the Native Americans."

"The National Museum's exhibits will highlight the nine bands of Kahuila Indians in the region, as well as tribal issues such as sovereignty and real rights," he said.

Hammond hopes that the National Museum will open at the end of next year and will help raise money for the new Agua Kaliente Museum, which is expected to cost around $40 million to build and equip. He said that almost all Indian tribes are building their own museums or want to build them.

He said the benefits of profits earned by Indian tribes from running casinos "much will be used to preserve culture, preserve language, and for museums."  안전한 파워볼사이트