Chickens are domestic birds. The adult female chicken is called a hen, the adult male is called a rooster, and the young are called chicks. There are many different breeds of chicken that are different sizes and colors. The rooster is larger and...
Hats; Headgear; Congo (Democratic Republic); Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Social life and customs; Lega (African people); Lega (African people) -- Social life and customs; Lega (African people) -- Clothing; Clothing and dress
In African societies, hats are often worn to reveal a person’s place in society or membership in a specific social organization. This hat was worn by a member of a special society called Bwami. Men and women of the Lega peoples in the Democratic...
Ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. They developed a process, called mummification, to preserve the body after death for its use in the afterlife. During embalming, the process used to create a mummy, specific internal organs were...
Paleo-Indians; Paleo-Indians -- Implements; France; France -- History; Hominids; Homo erectus; Homo sapiens; Neanderthals; Europe -- History; Asia -- History; Africa -- History
The use of stone tools by prehistoric peoples developed slowly over millions of years. Archaeologists have defined different types of tools and attributed them to certain time periods and groups, called tool industries. These reproduction tools...
One of the most important Jewish religious celebrations is Passover, or Pesach. Observed during the spring, Passover is an eight day event commemorating the freedom of Jewish peoples from slavery in Egypt. It is an occasion when Jews spend time...
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies; Indian dance -- North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore; Masks; Kwakiutl Indians; Kwakiutl art;...
This mask was created by contemporary Kwagiulth artist Buddy George. Called “Moon with Snakes” mask, it depicts a cosmological theme, as many Northwest Coast legends do. It embodies the moon, a celestial being that was, according to legend,...
Taxis (Vehicles); Models and modelmaking; Bicycles; Khatmandu (Nepal); Khatmandu (Nepal) -- Social life and customs; Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Its streets are overcrowded with gasoline and diesel-run cars, motorcycles and auto-rickshaws, filling the air with pollution. Due to the overcrowding, many people travel by bicycle...
Glass painting and staining; Painting on glass; Senegal; Senegal -- Social life and customs; Kora (Musical instrument); Musical instruments
This contemporary Senegalese painting was created with a very interesting and time-consuming technique called reverse glass painting. First, an image is drawn or simply conceptualized on one side of a piece of glass. It is then painted layer by...
Beetles belong to the largest order in the animal kingdom. These insects can be recognized by their armorlike wings, called elytra. Beetles are found almost everywhere and feed on all sorts of plant and animal material. They are known to eat...
Africa; Ghana; Ashanti (African people); Kente cloth; Kente cloth -- Ghana; Hand weaving; Handicraft -- Africa; Africa, Art
This cloth strip is very special. It was made in the Ghanaian village, Wonoo, world-renowned as one of the centers of manufacture for Asante kente cloth. This strip was purchased from a shop owned by Nana Asante-Frempong, one of many premiere...
Drum; Akan (African people); Akan (African people)--Ghana--Social life and customs; Ghana; Musical instruments; Percussion instruments
Certain African drums are called “talking drums.” Skilled drummers can create such a range of sound from them that it seems as if they can speak. This drum, called “atumpan,” is a type of talking drum used by the Akan peoples of Ghana. They...
Drum; Musical instruments; Musical instruments -- Korea; Percussion instruments; Dance; Folk dancing; Folk music -- Korea; Korea -- Rites and ceremonies; Korea--Social life and customs
This type of drum, called a sogo, is played by dancers while performing nong'ak, or instrumental folk music. The music is featured during village rites, shamanic rites, collective work sessions (such as weeding or planting) and as entertainment for...
Masks; Senufo (African people); Senufo (African people)--Social life and customs; Côte d'Ivoire; Funeral rites and ceremonies
Masks like this one are called Kponungo, meaning “funeral head mask.” They incorporate imagery from many powerful animals, including antelopes, buffaloes, crocodiles, warthogs, hornbills, chameleons and humans. The masks are danced during...
Depending on where you are in the world, this type of game is called by many different names. As many as 200 different names exist. Variant forms of it are played in the Middle East, Caribbean, South America, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka...
Germany; Germany -- Social life and customs; Clothing and dress; Oktoberfest; Festivals
Oktoberfest, a German festival, began as a celebration of Princess Therese’s marriage to Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig in Munich on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich enjoyed the celebration so much that they decided to make it a yearly...
Skull; Hominids; Paleontology -- Pleistocene; Paleontology -- Pliocene; Leakey, Mary D. (Mary Douglas), 1913-; Fossil hominids; Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania); Fossil man; Africa -- History
Archaeologists have found evidence of the earliest humans, called hominids, at numerous sites in eastern and southern Africa. This is a reproduction of the skull of a hominid known as Paranthropus boisei (originally called Zinjanthropus boisei and...
Paleo-Indians; Paleo-Indians -- Implements; Arrowheads; Projectile points; Indians of North America -- Implements; Indians of North America -- Antiquities; Tools
Clovis points are among the oldest tools found in North America and have often been discovered with the remains of ice age animals, such as mastodons and mammoth. They were made and used by the Clovis people, also called Paleo-Indians, who are...
Saudi Arabia; Islam; Islam -- Customs and practices; Middle East -- Social life and customs; Veils; Headgear; Clothing and dress; Women in Islam
In some parts of the Middle East, a Muslim woman covers her body with a black cloak called an abaya and a veil called a burqa. Usually a burqa is black and made of cotton or crepe. They come in various styles and lengths. There is a thin strip...
Paleo-Indians; Paleo-Indians--Implements; Indians of North America--Implements; Indians of North America--Antiquities
Archaeologists disagree about who carved stones like this one, generally called bannerstones, as well as what these stones were used for by prehistoric Native Americans. Some believe they were made for creating rope, starting a fire or as drilling...
Storage jars; Casas Grandes Site (Mexico); Mexico -- Antiquities; Pottery
The site of Casas Grandes (also called Paquimé) lies in the northwestern area of Chihuahua State of Mexico. The settlement was occupied between 700-1450 AD by people who lived between the time periods dominated by the Toltec and the Aztec. The...
