Run by the Federal University of Amazonas, the Museu Amazônico is the most serious museum in town for understanding the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin. The permanent collection covers the Tikuna, Yanomami, Sateré-Mawé and other groups of the upper Rio Negro, with feather work, ceremonial masks, manioc-processing tools, and a rebuilt Yanomami shabono.
A smaller archaeology room displays Marajoara pottery from the lower Amazon. The museum is housed in a restored mansion two blocks from the Teatro Amazonas; entry is free and labelling is in Portuguese only, but the objects largely speak for themselves.