By Don Heckman
Some unique Jimi Hendrix items have arrived at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. for the exhibition “Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture,” opening July 1. Hendrix’s grandmother was a Cherokee Indian. The items, which were accompanied by his sister, Janie Hendrix, consist of a full-length coat made of multi-colored leather patchwork, a leather necklace and a leather pouch.
Janie Hendrix, President/CEO Experience Hendrix, LLC. Tim Johnson (Mohawk) Associate Director for Museum Programs, National Museum of the American Indian
According to the Museum, the coat must have been a 
Hendrix favorite, “as seen from the deep creases around the elbows, dark demarcation sweat lines and well-worn hem.” The garment hasn’t been displayed before, and photographs have not previously been published.
Other Hendrix items scheduled to be in the exhibition include a reproduction of the Fender Stratocaster he performed with at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, and a reproduction of a Gibson Flying V guitar with artwork that appeared on the original – two of the dozens of guitars that Hendrix reportedly possessed at the time of his untimely death in September, 1970.
For more information about the exhibition, click here: National Museum of the American Indian.
Photos by Katherine Fogden, Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
