Object: Basketry

E/1946/5/11
Kara: Basketry Goat Muzzle
Eastern Africa
20th Century
Materials: Grass, straw

This object is a basketry goat muzzle from Ukara Island in northern Tanzania. Ukara Island is a small island (77 km²) located in the southeastern part of Lake Victoria (formerly known as Lake Noubaale). The name Ukara means Land (u) of the Spirit (ka) of the Sun (ra). Because of its small size and population density, most of the land on Ukara Island is privately owned so that every available acre can be farmed. The demands of agricultural production have resulted in Ukarans replacing most of the vegetation indigenous to the island with plants farmed for subsistence purposes. Millet, cassava, rice, and vegetables are staple crops, but many families also raise cattle fodder to feed several head of cattle for manure production. Because of the limited farmland, Ukarans are careful to keep the soil fertile, productive, and nutrient-rich with composted manure. Families can spend up to 12 hours a day transporting manure to fields and working fertilization into the soil.

Basketry muzzles like the one above, are used by Ukarans to keep their herds of sheep and goats from eating grasses or crops owned by someone else. Goats are kept in grass huts when not grazing on private fodder, but while being moved to water sources, they can be muzzled to discourage them from grazing along the way. This basketry muzzle is woven from narrow grass stems and straw. It contains two twisted fiber cords at each end for tying around the head of a goat. Some goats are not required to wear muzzles because they are considered sacred. When a witch doctor places the spirit of a departed ancestor in a goat, the animal is not muzzled. Instead, bells are used to signify their sacredness.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Footwear

E/1957/14/1
Baffin Island Inuit: Kamik
Arctic Coast
20th Century
Materials: Sealskin

Kamik, also known as Mukluks, are soft boots used by indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The term Kamik is an Inuktitut word meaning “boots,” while the term Mukluk is a Yupik word meaning “bearded seal.” The boots are made from reindeer skin or sealskin, depending on the use. Traditionally, reindeer skin boots were used in cold, snowy environments because they provided greater warmth than sealskin. Sealskin boots were used in coastal areas (see photo below) where lightweight, breathable footwear was preferred. Kamik would have afforded the wearer mobility and warmth while hunting seal or other coastal wildlife. These Kamik are child-sized boots and measure approximately six inches long and stand seven inches high. The soles are bound by thin, thread-like strips of natural hide. The strips in the binding of the shoe and along the seams of the cuff are painted red. Two strips of hide approximately 12 inches in length are attached to the top of the soles and would have been used to bind the boots around the legs and hold them in place.

These Kamik were made in present day Baffin Island of Northern Canada. Baffin Island is an island in the Arctic Ocean and has a population of 11,000, most of whom are Inuit. It is the fifth largest island in the world and is home to the Auyuittuq National Park. The island is known for several rugged mountain peaks and has become an international mountaineering destination in recent years. It has also been a source of data for monitoring warming trends and global climate change.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Bag

E/1954/16/17
Ojibwe: Basketry Bag
North America
20th Century
Materials: bark, bulrush, vegetable dyes

This object is a basketry bag made by the Ojibwe (or Chippewa) people of the northern United States. It is made from tree bark and bulrush stems and measures approximately 5 by 5 inches. Two handles are attached to the bag and six tassels fashioned from bulrush are attached to the handles. Strips of bulrush are dyed with red, black, orange, and green vegetable dyes.

The Ojibwe nation is presently the second largest Native American tribe in North America. Traditionally, the Ojibwe occupied portions of southern Canada and the northern United States, through presently, Ojibwe land holdings are as far west as Montana. The name Ojibwe is thought to come from the word “otchipwa,” meaning “to pucker,” in reference to the puffed seam style of moccasin shoes the Ojibwe produced. The Ojibwe are known for their art of storytelling. Traditionally, stories belonged to individual storytellers and could not be retold without the permission of the storyteller. Usually, the storyteller received a payment of some sort for sharing the story. The storytelling season began with the first snow of winter and ended with the first thunderstorm of summer. Prior to European contact, this was the season Ojibwe people spent much of their time indoors seeking shelter during the cold winter months. Many Ojibwe living in the woodlands of southern Canada and northern United States lived in traditional waginogans, although bands of Ojibwe living in the northern plains used tipis. Birchbark was used to cover the wigwam dwellings, and when occupants moved, the birchbark was removed, rolled up, and carried to a new location to be used in the construction of another dwelling. The Ojibwe relied on hunting and gathering for sustenance and harvested wild rice and maple sugar as food staples. Bags such as the one pictured above may have been used to carry berries, nuts, or other foodstuff gathered from the woodland environment.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Wooden Shoes

E/1966/7/6
Europe: Wooden Shoes
20th Century
Materials: Wood

This is a pair of wooden shoes from 20th century Europe. Each shoe is made from five pieces of wood glued together to form the body. The toe of each shoe is pointed and there is a slight elevation to the heel. Two holes near the rear of each shoe probably served for cords or ties. The shoes are painted yellow and measure approximately 12 inches in length, though the actual size of the shoe’s interior is less than 8 inches in length.

Wooden shoes are thought to have originated among the Dutch as early as the 14th century. The first organized clog-makers guild, however, was not recorded until the late 16th century. Wooden shoes were first used as pattens, a form of wooden sandal strapped under a shoe to protect it from mud, water, and dust. Among the peasantry, wooden shoes provided a cheap kind of footwear because of the durability and protection they offered their wearers. Wooden clogs provided a hard casing around the foot that did not break when trampled by farm animals or hit by heavy tools. In walking through wet or muddy areas, wooden clogs provided a waterproof form of foot protection. In urban areas, wooden shoes protected feet from direct contact with street refuse. To this day, in many parts of Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden, wooden clogs are still in use, as seen here.

Wooden shoes are made from a single block of inexpensive wood such as poplar, birch, or sycamore. In modern production, machines are used to carve the block of wood into the shape of the clog. The interior of the shoe is carved out and a sander is used to remove the splintered portions of the body. A video of wooden shoe production can be seen here.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Figurine

E/1989/1/12
Sioux: Dancer Doll
North America
20th Century
Materials: wood, feathers, beads, leather

This object is a Northern Plains style traditional “fancy dance” doll. It measures about 14.5 inches in height. The body of the doll is made of carved wood and is painted brown, with red paint under the eyes and across the face. The doll has black braided hair wrapped in brown leather. A hair roach made from deer hair and two blue feathers is attached. The doll is wearing a headband; it is beaded with seed beads of white, red, yellow, brown, and blue and contains a small rosette at the center of the forehead. A line of white beads hangs from the headband around each eye. The doll is wearing a silver and turquoise beaded choker and two wrist bands made from seed beads and leather fringe. The dance costume is comprised of gray suede material with a machine-stitched design. A band of bells is attached at the knees.

The back of the doll contains a gray suede bustle and beaded rosette. The bustle contains 22 blue and white Blue Jay feathers. A beaded rosette is at the center of the gray suede bustle. Two leather shoulder straps are decorated with white, red, yellow, blue, and black beads. The doll’s legs are painted black from below the knee to the mid-thigh and are covered in white rabbit fur. The figure is in a dancing position, mounted on an oval, wooden stand.

The dancing doll is fashioned in the Northern Plains style of a Sioux dancer. The regalia is similar to that used in a contemporary dance called the fancy dance. When many Native American religious dances were outlawed by the United States and Canadian governments in the 1920s and 1930s, the fancy dance style was created to allow communities to continue dancing in public. The fancy dance style originated in Oklahoma and was initially performed for spectators of wild west shows. The style grew in popularity, however, and is now one of the most anticipated dances at modern Pow Wows.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Hat

E/1964/7/1
Mariana Islands (Saipan)
Oceania
ca. 1950
Materials: Banana leaves

This object is an open top hat made from banana leaves. It was produced on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands of Oceania.

Fourteen islands comprise the Mariana Islands archipelago, including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. The Mariana Islands are a commonwealth in political union with the United States, and indigenous inhabitants have citizenship in the United States. The islands are home to two indigenous populations–the Carolinian and the Chamorro. The populations of both cultures were greatly reduced by disease and relocation when Europeans occupied the islands in the 1700s. Additionally, tropical storms reduced numbers of Caroline and Chamorro peoples.

The climate in the Mariana Islands is tropical, and temperatures are steady throughout the seasons. Tourism is an important part of the local economy on many islands, though agriculture and exports contribute as well. Items made from natural resources in the environment, such as the hat above, are important to preserving cultural practices. In recent years, some of the islands have experienced cultural revivals and returned to practicing and teaching traditional songs and dances. Teachers of stick dances, for example, were recently recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts for their contributions in maintaining the cultural relevancy of traditional ceremonial activities.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Effigy Jar

E/1956/6/5
Owl Effigy Jar
Pueblo of Zuni
North America: New Mexico
ca. 1912
Material: Ceramic

This object is an effigy jar in the form of an owl. It was produced by the Pueblo of Zuni around 1912 in present-day New Mexico. It measures 12.25 inches tall by 10 inches wide and is made from two separate pieces. Jars like this one are decorated with pottery slips, a method in which ceramic vessels are dipped in colored clay (see video below). The body of the jar has two wing-like projections on each side and a tail-like projection on the rear. There are also two horned projections on the head. Two frogs decorate the breast of the figure and may serve as symbols of rain. According to some Zuni artists, ceramic owl effigies have been in production for at least 400 years and have been used for ceremonial purposes. Among the Zuni, owls are often viewed as messengers of alertness. The Zuni people refer to themselves as A:shiwi and maintain a linguistically unique language that is unrelated to other languages in the area. The Pueblo of Zuni has been one of the most often visited groups of Native Americans by anthropologists and European surveyors. The pueblo has undergone many changes in pottery production, land holdings, and government. In the past century, the arts market has flourished, while over 450,000 acres of land holdings have been accumulated in Arizona and New Mexico, and the Zuni government has changed from a theocracy to a secular tribal council government.

[Lauren Simons]

Object: Statuette

E/1955/18/18
Ivory Carving of Buddha
Dynastic China
ca. Qing Dynasty 1644-1949
Materials: ivory, red stain

This object is a small, carved statuette of Buddha. It came from dynastic China and was collected sometime during the Qing Dynasty between 1644 and 1949. It is probably carved from elephant ivory. The figure depicts Buddha seated on lotus petals, holding a small ball in his left hand. This object has also been stained red. Ever since China was introduced to Buddhism by way of India during the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), the depiction of Buddha has become a major theme in Chinese art.

The elements of the statue and the Buddha figure can be linked to Buddhist beliefs. The main focus of Buddhism is to rid oneself of desire, which can lead to suffering, and become an enlightened person of the world. The ivory figure reflects this as the dot on the statue’s head represents wisdom and all-seeing power. The figure is positioned on lotus petals. Lotus flowers are a symbol of things that are pure and good because they grow out of water and mud to become beautiful pink flowers. Buddhist beliefs suggest that Buddhist followers, like lotus flowers, can rise above ugliness to achieve enlightenment. The figure is depicted in a meditative stance. In Buddhism, the way for followers to achieve enlightenment is to pray and meditate. [Brittany Teel]

Object: Cartonnage Fragment

C/1956/8/1
Fragment of a mummy cartonnage
Egyptian
18th dynasty (1570-1314 BCE)
Materials: linen or papyrus

This object is a multi-colored fragment of a mummy cartonnage possibly from the 18th Dynasty. Cartonnage was used for personal funerary ornaments such as mummy masks. The masks would cover the head, shoulders, and upper chest of the mummy to protect the face of the deceased. This particular piece was likely from the chest portion of a cartonnage mummy mask.

Cartonnage was made from thin, layered pieces of linen or papyrus. Once a shape had begun to form one side was coated with gesso (a mixture of glue and whiting plaster) to harden the shape. This coating allowed the maker to use detailed paint or gold leafing on the front side.

Each individual had their own design for their mask. Usually, the design would indicate something about the deceased. For instance, the mask may have been a representation of what the person looked like or enjoyed doing. An example of a gilded mummy mask can be seen at the British Museum.

[Brittany Teel]

Object: Kantharos

C/1958/1/5
Replica, Kantharos with wreaths, fillets, thyrsi
Hildesheim Germany
Roman
ca. 100 CE
Materials: silver

This object is a replica of a silver kantharos found in Germany in 1868. The original was a part of a large treasure of about 50 silver pieces found by Prussian soldiers in Hildesheim, Germany. Now known as the Hildesheim Treasure, there are numerous replicas in museums. The reason such a large amount of Roman silver was buried outside of Roman territory is unclear. Many scholars have attributed the objects to a Roman general who may have buried the treasure to keep it safe. Also, dating the pieces is difficult but many are thought to date back to the 1st century C.E.

Named for its shape, the kantharos has two handles on each side. The design on the piece depicts Dionysus, who was the Greek god of wine. The design also incorporates masks, grapevines, and lion decorations, typical of items associated the cult of Dionysus. Before World War II, the original pieces of silver are in Berlin. Replicas such as this one allow students and scholars to study pieces of art that are located in far away places or no longer exist.

[Brittany Teel]