AMERICANS.

• Author: Mangu-Ward, Katherine

The Museum of the American Indian is mostly known among Washingtonians for its cafeteria; it's the best place to eat on the National Mall.

But the permanent exhibit "Americans" is an underrated Smithsonian asset. Built from hundreds of common references to Native Americans-from the woman kneeling on every box of Land O'Lakes butter to a video loop of Cher in a feathered headdress to models of Apache helicopters--the central hall fills visitors with a warm sense of familiarity before shunting them off into smaller installations that correct misconceptions about everything from Pochahontas (yes, there's a...