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Carved Stone Figures in the Plateau (Photo Diary)

The Maryhill Museum located near Goldendale, Washington, has a display of Plateau stone artifacts. The Plateau Culture Area is the area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and Western Montana. From north to south it runs from the Fraser River in the north to the Blue Mountains … Continued

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Some Arctic Artifacts (Photo Diary)

The Artic Culture Area includes the Aleutian Islands, most of the Alaska Coast, the Canadian Artic, and parts of Greenland. It is an area which can be described as a “cold” desert. Geographer W. Gillies Ross, in his chapter in North American Exploration. Volume 3: A Continent Comprehended, writes: “The North American Arctic is usually … Continued

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Makah and Clallam Baskets (Photo Diary)

The northern part of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington was originally the homeland for two different American Indian nations: the Makah on the west and the Clallam (S’Klallam, Klallam) on the east. The Olympic Peninsula is located in the Northwest Coast culture area which is characterized by aboriginal subsistence patterns that relied on fishing and … Continued

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Some American Indian Art (Photo Diary)

Situated on a bluff high above the Columbia River near Goldendale, Washington, the Maryhill Museum of Art has an outstanding collection of American Indian art and artifacts which are displayed in a series of galleries. In addition, the Museum has displays of recent acquisitions of Native American art displayed in another gallery. Shown below are … Continued

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The Underwood Fair (Photo Diary)

The Underwood family of Underwood, Washington, is descended from the marriage of the daughter of Cascade chief Chenowuth with a U.S. Army officer. At an annual event, known as the Underwood Fair, the family would display their extensive collection of Indian art. Mary Underwood Lane gave many of the Underwood artifacts to the Maryhill Museum. … Continued

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The California Culture Area (Photo Diary)

In providing a broad overview of the hundreds of distinct American Indian cultures found in North America, it is common for museums, historians, archaeologists, and ethnologists to use a culture area model. This model is based on the observation that different groups of people living in the same geographic area often share many cultural features. … Continued

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Plateau Containers in the Maryhill Museum (Photo Diary)

The Maryhill Museum located near Goldendale, Washington, has a display of Plateau containers. The Plateau Culture Area is the area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and Western Montana. From north to south it runs from the Fraser River in the north to the Blue Mountains in … Continued

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California Women’s Woven Hats (Photo Diary)

While the Plains Indian feathered headdress has become the stereotypical image of American Indian headgear, there is little awareness of the headgear worn by Indian women. In the far west—in the Northwest Coast, Plateau, and California culture areas—Indian women wore basketry caps. The Maryhill Museum of Art near Goldendale, Washington, has a collection of California … Continued

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Southwestern Pottery in the Maryhill Museum (Photo Diary)

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

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The Wyers Collection at the Maryhill Museum (Photo Diary)

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