The Wheelright Museum of the American Indian was founded by Mary Cabot Wheelright in 1937. Wheelright, who came from a wealthy family, traveled extensively and pursued her lifelong interest in studying religion. She collaborated with Hastiin Klah, an influential Navajo singer, to establish the Museum. Klah was born in 1867, a year when most of the Navajo people were held prisoners of war the United States government.

In the 1930?s, Wheelright and Klah realized the need for a museum. Not only would it be a repository for sound recordings, paintings, manuscripts, and sandpainting tapestries, it would also provide the people an opportunity to view the beauty, dignity, and profound logic of Navajo religion.

The Museum today is not as dedicated to the study of the Navajo religion but it is able to maintain its growing collections that depict the art and culture from 1850 up to the present.