American military history, American decorative art, American textile history, and communications/typewriter history are well-represented collections, and firearms technology is a specialty. Additional collections include historic to modern (1600-present) cultures of Europe, Middle East, and Asia.
Peter French donated 51 Ndyuka artifacts to the MPM in 1945, constituting the vast majority of Suriname artifacts in the collection. These items included wooden food stirrers, combs, hammocks, calabash utensils, a baton, a laundry beater, and a white clay (pemba) sample. Unfortunately, not much is known about the life or work of this particular source.
Current collection counts are based on inventories of prime collections (firearms, business machines, textiles, etc.), high number counts for individual catalogue series, and estimates for items catalogued in the Anthropology ledgers.
This was not an unrealistic expectation, for when Hernando Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico in 1518 and 1519, he found incredible quantities of precious metals, as did Francisco Pizarro when he conquered the Inca Empire in 1534. A French explorer, Jacques Cartier, explored the St.
MPM's curatorial and collections staff have selected more than 100 important, unique or interesting objects to highlight from the more than 4 million items in the Museum's care. These items reflect the depth and breadth of the collections.
Many of the items featured below are not on exhibit due to their fragile nature. One of the Museum's primary goals is to preserve objects for generations to come.
As a virtual exhibit, we can share with people around the world our most rare and intriguing items without harm to them.
The Oneida Tribe are members of the League of the Iroquois, a confederacy of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk based on mutual non-aggression. At a later date, the Tuscarora joined the Confederacy.
These 50-minute, guided explorations take place wihtin the museums galleries. Each program includes hands-on, interactive experiences connecting exhibits and topics to your classroom curriculum.
Lesson Guides: Click on each topic title to open a printable lesson guide.
Availability: These programs are available Monday-Friday at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. *subject to availability
Requirements:
The insect collections have not yet been digitized.