The Keeper, a 44-foot tall, 5-ton, Cor-Ten statue, was constructed in 1974 and was the vision of Blackbear Bosin, who helped establish the Indian Museum. In May 2007, upon completion of an 8-year, $20 million dollar project, the Keeper, located at the confluence of the Little and Big Arkansas Rivers, was placed upon a 30-foot promontory.​

The Plaza, which houses the Keeper, is home to various plant life, such as yucca, medicinal herbs and cactus. There are areas throughout the Plaza that detail customs and traditions of the Plains Indians, such as the four elements the medicine wheel or circle of life: air, fire, water and earth. The four elements all come together each night when five fire drums are lit for 15 minutes at 7:00pm in the winter and 9:00pm in the summer.