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Some 20,000 people representing more than 500 native American tribes gathered in Washington's National Mall for the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian.

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There was a festive atmosphere as people from Aztec and other tribes danced and sang their way down the famous mall.

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But the pageantry was tinged with sadness, as a new generation remembered ancestors killed by the warfare and disease that came with the first European settlers.

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The Indians were reduced from over 50 million to just 200,000 people by 1900 but were now re-emerging, Colorado Republican Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell said.

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The museum was 15 years in the planning and cost about $220m to build.

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The US' oldest inhabitants felt they had waited longer than many other minorities for their loss to be recognised.

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The building's architect, Douglas Cardinal, did not attend the ceremony but his sweeping structure attracted cries of admiration.

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It now stands in the heart of the US capital, home to the largest collection of native American art and artefacts in the world.

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Having come straight from the museum's opening, Senator Ben Nighthorse addressed the Senate still wearing full native costume.

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The native Americans hope the museum marks a new beginning for their people, now estimated to number some four million.