Masks are made and widely used in traditional African cultures for many different purposes. The masks are typically worn with full costumes and accessories, and they represent a variety of entities, including deities, supernatural beings such as nature spirits, mythological characters, and ancestors. They are used in both public and private rituals, from ceremonies to initiate … [Read more...] about African Masks and Headdresses: Researched and Conserved by Emalie Neise and Abby Wade
“Whimsies” are small beaded items that were created by Native American artisans to sell to tourists. At the turn of the 20th century, the Niagara Falls region experienced a great boom in tourism, and visitors proved eager to buy handmade goods as souvenirs. Native cultures of this region were well-known for making skilled floral beadwork that appealed greatly to the aesthetics … [Read more...] about Beaded Bags: Researched and Conserved by Cassidy Hale
While the craftsmanship of these two chairs is of high quality, the small size of the chairs and the thin caning indicates that they were not meant to serve as actual chairs for children; instead, these were meant to be toy chairs for use as accessories for dolls. Each chair has a wooden frame that consists of machine-turned, solid wooden pieces that form the legs, … [Read more...] about Doll Chairs: Researched and Conserved by Malena Hemenway
This mask depicts Malintzin, also known as Doña Mariña or La Malinche, a historical figure in the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. Malintzin was an Aztec woman who was captured as a child and enslaved by the Maya, who then sold her to Hernán Cortés. With the help of Géronimo de Aguilar, a Spaniard who had learned the Maya language after being shipwrecked, Malintzin served as a … [Read more...] about Masks and Papier-Mâché Angel: Researched and Conserved by Melia Richardson
The Kamëntsá are an indigenous culture that still inhabits its ancestral territory, which is located within the Putumayo region of Colombia. This region was colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century, and the Spanish forced the Kamëntsá to convert to Christianity and suppressed their belief systems, traditional language, and agricultural practices. Nevertheless, the Kamëntsá … [Read more...] about Traditional Dolls: Researched and Conserved by Abby Wade