Thursday, March 31, 2016

Germany

I received a postcard from Germany today featuring objects held in the collection of the Karl May Museum located in Radebeul. Germans have always been interested in Native American culture & arts, collecting ethnological objects from many tribes. This card features a Kiowa baby cradle, a woman's dress that may be Lakota and a mannequin wearing a bear claw necklace.
I like museum cards and always enjoy reading comments about their collections.




Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Burke Museum

A student went to Seattle over Spring Break and visited the Burke Museum. Happily she brought me 2 lovely postcards to add to my NW Coast collection!! The Burke is well known and highly regarded (but my student says they are building a larger complex): http://www.burkemuseum.org/

This card features a Killer Whale crest headdress of the Tlingit people made in the mid 1800s. It was collected in 1905 from Prince of Wales Island and is made from red cedar, sea lion teeth and features mirrors.

Another card shows a wooden rattle carved in the form of a grouse by a Makah artist also in the 1800s and acquired by the museum in 1915. The Smithsonian also has a number of rattles made using this bird form although I am unsure of its cultural meaning.


Natchez Trace

Bought a few cards to send away for Postcrossing (the international postcard exchange site) and picked up one for myself. My collection doesn't have many mound sites so this is a good addition and I will need to order a few more for friends who also enjoy this category. This multi image card celebrates the Natchez Trace, formerly a Native American trail running through Mississippi and Tennessee in Choctaw and Chickasaw territories.
Curiously the text describes Emerald Mound located northeast of Nashville, a Mississippian era site. However the photo appears to actually be Pharr Mounds, located northeast of Tupelo Mississippi on the Trace. This site dates before 200ad, Woodland period. Either way, its nice to have another postcard celebrating Southeastern mound building cultures!!