Sidedoor

At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, archivists are working with Native communities to correct the historical record … one photo at a time.
In this episode, we go inside the archives, where century-old photographs once labeled “Indian man” or “woman in costume” are being reexamined and renamed so they can be reconnected to living descendants. It’s a painstaking effort that’s also challenging the romanticized imagery popularized by photographers and anthropologists of the late 1800s, early 1900s. 
Think there might be photos of your ancestors in the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives? Check here: https://sova.si.edu/
You can read about the Smithsonian's Ethical Returns and Shared Stewardship Policy here: https://ncp.si.edu/SI-ethical-returns
To submit a shared stewardship or ethical return inquiry or request, complete this form: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7447374/Shared-Stewardship-and-Ethical-Returns-Inquiry-Request-Submission-Form 
If you have questions about the policy, contact [email protected].

Guests: 
Emily Moazami, head archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center
Nathan Sowry, reference archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center
Rachel Menyuk, processing archivist at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Archive Center
Special thanks to the Harmon Family:
Leonard Harmon, Pam Pierce Harmon Johnston, Mike Harmon and Matthew Harmon

A long time ago, in movie theaters not far away, Star Wars: A New Hope revolutionized American entertainment. In honor of May the 4th, we explore how a scrappy space fantasy reinvented a tale as old as time — and gave Americans hope in a time of difficulty. We'll also trace the journey of two bickering droids from a galaxy far, far away to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. 
Guests: 
Ryan Lintelman, curator of entertainment at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Eric Jentsch, curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Dawn Wallace, objects conservator at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

As we approach the nation's 250th birthday, we are looking back at some of the most important moments in American history. One of those moments is when Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag. But, as we discovered, there’s actually no proof that Ross sewed the first flag. In fact, we don't even know what the first American flag even looked like! 
In this episode of Sidedoor, we unravel this vexillological tall tale to find out how this myth got started, and who Betsy Ross really was.
Sidedoor also recently teamed up with the popular 99% Invisible podcast to explore the lesser-known history of the American flag. The episode, “Flag Days: Unfolding a Moment,” is available to listen to now. 
Guests: 
Jennifer Locke Jones, political and military history curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History 
Marc Leepson, journalist, historian and author of the book Flag: An American Biography
Marla R. Miller, historian and author of Betsy Ross and the Making of America

When a Smithsonian archaeology intern opened a dusty box of bones in a Panamanian warehouse, she didn't expect to find a mystery, let alone a potential crime scene. But Nina Hirai’s discovery of a tapir skull riddled with what appeared to be bullet holes sparked an investigation that would lead her several miles up the Panama Canal and nearly forty years into the past. Join us as we unspool the strange, unresolved story of a tapir named Alice, and ask what it means to live with uncertainty when the past refuses to explain itself.
Guests:
Nina Hirai, former archeology intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 
Nicole Smith-Guzmán, archeology curator at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 
Ashley Sharpe, research archeologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 
Aureliano Valencia (“Yeyo”), archeological research technician at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute 
Phyllis (Lissy) Coley, professor emerita in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah and research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute  
Monica Brenes Lynan, former veterinarian at Parque Municipal Summit in Panama 
Andres Ramos, lider de guardabosques del Monumento Natural Barro Colorado / head park ranger at Barro Colorado Island

What does it look like for something to be made in America? 
Through the photography of Christopher Payne, we journey across the past, present and future of American manufacturing to answer this question. From centuries-old textile mills to modern assembly lines, Payne’s photographs offer a rare, behind-the-scenes view of how everyday objects—from pencils to airplanes to marshmallow Peeps—are made. 
With the help of Smithsonian curator, Susan Brown, and author, Rachel Slade, we also explore the history behind these factories, and how the story of American manufacturing is the story of our nation itself. 

Guests: 
Christopher Payne, Industrial photographer
Susan Brown, associate curator, and acting head of textiles at Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum; curator of the exhibition Made in America
Rachel Slade, author of the book Making it in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (and How it Got That Way)