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Catalog Number : E17378
Accession Number : 4615
Material : Wood, paint
Generally speaking, native communities on Canada's Pacific Coast regard sharks as having the capacity to be both benevolent and dangerous. This particular mask could reference a Kwakiutl story about a boy who was thrown to a shark by the character known as Weight-on-Floor, or is perhaps the crest of a shark clan.

The Collection

The Aztalan collection of the Milwaukee Public Museum is composed of over 3,600 archaeological artifacts primarily excavated and collected by Dr. Samuel A. Barrett in the field seasons of 1919, 1920, and 1932. This collection is the largest assemblage of cultural remains from a single North American archaeological site in the Milwaukee Public Museum.

References

Berlo, Janet Catherine, ed. 1996. Plains Indian Drawings 1865-1935: Pages From A Visual History. The American Federation of Arts and The Drawing Center. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated.

Frank, Ross. 2005. Plains Indian Ledger Art. Electronic document, www.plainsledgerart.org.

Neihardt, John G. 1961. Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.

Navajo Rug Collection

The Navajo rug collection is the largest museum-held collection of its type in the state of Wisconsin, comprising over 200 rugs representing all major types, ages, and styles. As early as the 1800s, the Navajo were recognized for their high quality of weaving by both neighboring American Indian groups and the Spanish. The changing designs of the rugs have been influenced by trade and later, tourism. Several examples of these rugs can be seen in the Southwest exhibit on the Second Floor.

Item Image
rug
Catalog Number
E10552
Accession Number
3101
74

Planetarium Newsletter - January 2022

Cosmic Curiosities

“The Earth is what we all have in common.”
- Wendell Berry, American writer

The Three Faces of Venus

Humans have been looking at planet Venus, the “wandering star,” for thousands of years. Perceptions vary from person to person, culture to culture, and Venus views change over time.

Here are three faces I see when I ponder Venus…

SKY FACE

Kinship

The Nature of the Tribe

In the Great Lakes, Native tribes were composed of a number of smaller villages or bands of semi-sedentary groups living together. Only rarely did these tribes assemble in large groups, except in summer, when several hundred people might live together, and during a time of major warfare. For religious events, especially the Medicine Dance, a large group might assemble. Lacrosse games could also attract large groups and tribes close to the Prairies might assemble for their spring buffalo hunt.