In major museums, only a small fraction of the artifacts held by the museum are on display and interpreted for the public. Most of the museum’s artifacts are in vaults where they are available only to researchers. The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History maintains a Visible Vault in which visitors can view hundreds … Continued
The Pueblos are the village agriculturists of New Mexico and Northern Arizona. While the Pueblos are usually lumped together in both the anthropological and historical writings as though they are a single cultural group, they are linguistically and culturally divergent. The Pueblos speak six mutually unintelligible languages and occupy more than 30 villages in a … Continued
The aboriginal Pomo territory was about 50 miles north of present-day San Francisco. Pomo territory included the Pacific Coast and extended some distance inland as far as Clear Lake. Like other California tribes, they lived in small villages. There was no single Pomo tribe, rather, the designation “Pomo” groups together about 72 independent tribes. Some … Continued
John Gerbrand Wyers (1871-1960) lived in White Salmon, Washington, where he had a hardware and general merchandise store. He purchased basketry, particularly works by the local Klikitat people and encouraged Indian weavers. His interest in Native art was the result of his relationship with Margaret “Maggie” Underwood Howell (Klickitat). The two were domestic partners, but … Continued
The Great Plains is the huge area in the central portion of the North American continent which stretches from the Canadian provinces in the north, almost to the Gulf of Mexico in the south, from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the Mississippi River in the east. This is an area which contains many … Continued
The Maya flourished in the area south of the Valley of Mexico. The Maya reached their peak of urban development during the period which archaeologists call the Classis Period which dates from about 250 CE until about 900 CE. On the Maya calendar, the Classic Period begins in baktun 8 (a baktun is a period … Continued
The Presby House Museum in Goldendale, Washington, has three display cases filled with Indian artifacts. These included beaded items (moccasins, gloves, bags), baskets, and a variety of stone artifacts (pestles, mortars, projectile points). The items are displayed with no explanation of tribal histories or aboriginal use. Most of the items were probably trade items made … Continued
A special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, featured The Inuit Art of Povungnituk. Povungnituk is a village on the eastern shores of Hudson Bay in Arctic Quebec. A portion of this exhibit was dedicated to the Povungnituk Print Shop. The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Following World … Continued
The Inuit (sometimes called Eskimo) are one of the aboriginal peoples of the Arctic. A special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, featured The Inuit Art of Povungnituk. According to the display: “In the 1950s, encouraged by a local priest, a group of Inuit artists in the village of … Continued
The Northwest Coast culture area stretches along the Pacific coast between the Cascade Mountains and the ocean. It extends north of California to Alaska. This is an area which is the home to many Indian nations who traditionally based their economy on the use of sea coast and river ecological resources. The Northwest Coast culture … Continued
