Field Museum of Natural History Essay

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Updated: Feb 26th, 2024

Introduction

Field Museum of Natural history is a well-known museum throughout the world that houses objects and artifacts existing since a long time ago. The museum is found in Chicago in the United States of America along the Michigan lakeshore. It houses millions of displays but only small portions are on display. The rest are safely stored in other parts of the museum.

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One of the artifacts that were found in the museum was the largest Tyrannosaurus ever known commonly referred to as the Sue. Records indicated that paleontologist Sue Hendrickson discovered it in 1990 and that is why it takes after her name. The fossil was auctioned in 1997 at a cost of around $8 million after ownership was settled. The fossil remains to be a permanent feature in the museum (Field Museum of Natural History 56).

Discussion

Examinations conducted showed that the fossil was 28 years old. The fossil showed that it received injuries several times during its life that resulted in some sicknesses. Its right shoulder was injured, and therefore the shoulder had a damaged blade. Its right hand had a torn tendon, and three of her ribs were broken. The museum had anthropological exhibits of human culture from Pacific North West, ancient Egypt, Tibet, and Pacific Northwest.

Collections of the remains of large animals including the two prized elephants in Africa and lions of Tsavo found in the ghost and the darkness movie written in 1996 were also in the museum. There are different species of dinosaurs that have gone through the process of evolution from time to time. Finally, there are artifacts from Native American culture. These artifacts show the culture and practices of indigenous Americans before interaction with other communities that influenced their culture (Field Museum of Natural History 66).

Indigenous cultural practices among communities in the northwestern parts were deep-rooted. One of their main cultural practices was the potlatch, a ceremony that involved the performance of dances an exchange of gifts. The ceremony marked the status and identity of a family as well as its relationship with the past. During the 19th century, missionaries and settlers visited the country, a move that affected the lives of indigenous people as far as faith, living conditions and diets are concerned.

Outsiders viewed potlatch as a sign of backwardness as waste and therefore initiated many changes. In Canada, the government established rules against potlatch in 1884. However, some of the communities like Kwakwaka’wakw continued with the practice secretly. In 1921, some participants of potlatch were arrested when Chief Dan Cranmer held a large potlatch in the village. Some of the participants were sent to jail. The law wanted them to give out their masks and things used in the ceremony in order to evade the punishment.

The treasures obtained from the participants were sold while others were given away and the rest were taken to the National Museum of Man. The items can still be traced from the museum even today.

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The Village Island was abandoned within a period of 60 years after the last potlatch was held. People migrated to other places and left their houses. Some of the inhabitants of the Island settled in Alert Bay an island inhabited by both whites and Indians. In this island, people seem to trace back the indigenous practices that they left behind. The practices of the residents are both are a mixture of modern and traditional practices.

The Kwakiutl group claims to be the anthropological group in the world. However, many people think that all members of the group are already dead. The group was referred to as a vanishing group by the whites, and that is why some people think that the group has been acculturated in other groups. Kwakiutl is still present in modern societies even though they are not recognized.

Some people remember the meaning of their dances as go-ahead to practice them. Even though potlatch was against the law, old people felt that there was a need to continue with the practice. This was an advantage because knowledge of pot latching was passed to young generations. Pot latching was a joyous ceremony expressed through dances that involved gift giving. Modern artists used the same tactics used in the olden days to make traditional masks and poles.

The main diet of the community was fishing. Although Alert bay has become modernized and the government has established rules limiting the activity of fishing, some of the members still make they’re living out of the activity. They mainly depend on fishing to supplement their diet and earn a living from it. They are however controlled as far as where, how and when to fish.

Many political battles take place in Alert Bay where the Kwakiutl loose many cultural items but they argue that the masks they lost after Dan Crammer’s potlatch mean more than anything else does. They for a long time had been requesting the National Museum of Man to return the masks to them. It was during the beginning of the 17th century that the museum offered to give the masks back to them on condition that they were to build a museum and keep them there.

They started constructing the house in 1979 that was designed to link the past and present. They constructed it properly with specific areas of storing the collections. The center for the collection was complete by 1980. This was a happy duration especially for the old people who had not forgotten about their undertakings back in 1921.

People called it a box of treasures about the one that old people used to have. The items in the center are arranged in the same way they would appear during a potlatch. After the center was complete, artists and museums gave them gifts. They also took photographs of the sites of their original villages. The center was well equipped that it was no longer a mere museum but a box of treasures. The center acted as a means of strengthening the language, history, and culture of the indigenous society that was almost ending.

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Conclusion

The center was given the name U’Mista Cultural Centre meaning the turning back to something very important. The center is a symbol of their cultural survival that helps them in strengthening the culture they could have lost. Cultural activities are important aspects of society that should be preserved and passed from one generation to another.

A major challenge to the survival of the culture is modernization that has wiped out cultural values in many societies. For instance, missionaries preach Christian doctrine and discourage many cultural practices. Other factors affecting cultural values include education, migration, Trade, and interaction.

Work Cited

Field Museum of Natural History. . 1988. Web.

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"Field Museum of Natural History." IvyPanda, 26 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/field-museum-of-natural-history/.

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IvyPanda. (2024) 'Field Museum of Natural History'. 26 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Field Museum of Natural History." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/field-museum-of-natural-history/.

1. IvyPanda. "Field Museum of Natural History." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/field-museum-of-natural-history/.


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IvyPanda. "Field Museum of Natural History." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/field-museum-of-natural-history/.

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