Getting into the spirit of a new museum: November is Native American Heritage Month. It's the perfect time to learn about a new museum in Washington, D.C.

Native people believe that everything in nature has a spirit.

Everything is alive and connected: the air, water, wind, clouds, plants, animals, people, rocks, mountains, grains of sand.

So the Yak knew he was in for a treat when he recently visited the new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. He knew those beliefs would be reflected in the museum, which native people helped create.

But what he found was overwhelming. Native beliefs shape every indoor and outdoor space, every display, walkway and garden, creating a sense that the museum itself has a spirit--one that connects us to each other and to everything.

"Let us bring our minds together to give thanks for all the gifts that nurture us," begins the narrator of the short film that introduces visitors to what they are about to experience.

"Let us greet each other as human beings."

For the next 13 minutes, thousands of colorful images dance across four screens--white native carpets--a huge acrylic boulder and a domed ceiling, whisking viewers to native communities from the Arctic Circle to Latin America.