M2 Smithsonian review


The online resource I reviewed was The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. https://americanindian.si.edu/  There was a wealth of information on the site with varied topics.  I found it interesting that the man who started the drive to collect and document artifacts began prior to 1900 and was started by George Gustav Heye (1874–1957). “From his first acquisition, the 1897 purchase of a Navajo hide shirt in Arizona, Heye’s collecting quickly expanded into archaeological material. By 1903, he was buying large archaeological collections from around the hemisphere, and by 1906, he had accumulated more than 10,000 objects.” (smithsonian, 2019)  The collections have input from Native Americans which I think is important.  I also like the fact that there is opportunity to repatriate artifacts back to the tribe or lineage.  The website provides a view of upcoming exhibitions one I found interesting was going to be in Washington on the “Our Universes focuses on indigenous cosmologies—worldviews and philosophies related to the creation and order of the universe—and the spiritual relationship between humankind and the natural world” (smithsonian, 2019)   I think that would be an interesting exhibition to witness.  The website supplies a view of the artifacts, historical photographs, artworks, and information on the collections, the history of the collections, and the ongoing works. I also looked at the Museum of South East American Indian which supplied videos of the various Native tribes that still live in North Carolina.  https://www.uncp.edu/resources/museum-southeast-american-indian.  I think that the website shows how much we don’t know about our own history here in the United States, we have ancient sites like the Colosseum and the Mayan pyramids, and Egyptian Pyramids,  but how many know our own ancient and living history with Native Americans.  I think these sites give insight into the tribal areas that are thriving and can supply a history of the Americas from the first peoples.



Works Cited


smithsonian. (2019). National Museum of the American Indian. Retrieved from National Museum of the American Indian: https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/collections/history






Comments

  1. JM599October 24, 2019 at 11:53 AM

    I like that there is the opportunity to send back artifacts back to the tribe or lineage. I have been doing some light reading on things we don't know or can't understand. Things like the Nazca Lines and geoglyphs. It's truly fascinating, but disturbing at the same time because I feel that we know so little.

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