Museum of the American Indian Opens Doors

When the National Museum of the American Indian opens to the public this week, Carole L. Whelan stands ready to soak up knowledge that she can almost immediately pass on to her students.

After all, some of Ms. Whelan's students—51 5th graders from the James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School in Washington—were invited along with her to receive a tour of the museum on opening day, Sept. 21, and to attend the opening ceremony.

The festivities in the nation's capital were scheduled to include a procession of thousands of Native Americans and to kick off a six-day festival on the National Mall celebrating tribal cultures through...