FAM

By the Dawn's Early Light: Oklahoma Tribal Flag Songs

October 10, 2026 – January 4, 2027

This free exhibition will be on view in the Community Gallery at First Americans Museum.

Comanche Indian Veterans Association members folding the American Flag after being lowered at Comanche Nation Fair (2019). Courtesy of First Americans Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Photo by Pursuit Films.
By the Dawn’s Early Light: Oklahoma Tribal Flag Songs explores flag songs from five tribal nations in Oklahoma today, honoring the Comanche, Cheyenne and Arapaho, Choctaw, Ponca, and Wichita and Affiliated Tribes equivalent to the Star-Spangled Banner. The songs are connected to the honoring of Native veterans—past, present and future—and provide an opportunity to learn how music, language, community and service intersect.


This exhibition is made possible with support from Getty.

Visitors who have served in the military, armed forces, or uniformed services are encouraged to attend Veterans @ FAM on Friday, Oct. 30. Learn more here.