Kwahadi Kiva Museum of the American Indian

The museum exhibits gives visitors a glimpse into the cultures of the people of the Pueblos and Plains. The museum displays fine paintings, bronzes, fine old beadwork and material culture items.      The Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum features the works of the late artist and author, Thomas E. Mails.  As a child, his grandfather in Colorado would draw stick figures of his memories of the Indian people of Colorado.  From this early beginning, Tom developed his passion as an artist and his abiding interest in the old ways of the American Indian.      Mr. Mails served as a Coast Guard officer during WWII, became an architect, and later attended seminary to become a Lutheran pastor.  Throughout those times, he continued to collect old medicine items and artifacts from various pawn shops and stores during a time when there was little interest in native ways.  He became very interested in the various societies of the Plains people. He 1970, a major book publisher happened across Tom in a pawn shop, was intrigued by his drawings and knowledge, and suggested Tom put his work into a book.  This resulted in the first of Tom’s 14 books on Native Americans, Mystic Warriors of the Plains.   The book was first published in 1972 and is a magnificent book profusely illustrated by Tom.  Kevin Costner used the book as source material for his movie, Dances with Wolves.  Mystic Warriors and most of Tom’s books are still in print in various languages around the world.