Yoruba (African people); Yoruba (African people) -- Social life and customs; Twins; Mourning customs
Twins hold a special place among the Yoruba of Nigeria where they have the highest rate of twin births in the world. They are protected by the God of Twins, called Ibeji,” and are believed to have the power to bring good fortune, health and...
Mexico; Mexico -- Social life and customs; Masks; Jaguar; 1970s
Animals are very important in Mexican culture. It's believed that each human being has an animal guardian or soul companion, called a tona (or tono). Jaguars, known as "tigres" in Mexico, are very symbolic. The most revered and feared of...
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...
Bagpipes are ancient instruments for which little is known about their age and origins. Different types and styles of pipes were played in many regions of the world in ancient times, but they have come to be most closely associated with Scotland....
Debuting in the fall of 1978, the science fiction series Battlestar Gallactica pitted good against evil on ABC. Following the popularity of Star Wars in movie theaters, the show featured a colony of humans racing toward Earth while avoiding the...
The first live-steam trains date from around 1870, although some undoubtedly were made earlier. Beggs made the first American live-steam toy engines in the 1870s and continued producing them into the early 1900s. Because the hauling power of...
Indians of North America; Pueblo Indians; Pueblo Indians -- Social life and customs; Pueblo pottery; Containers; Storage jars
In the beginning of the 20th century, Sara Fina Tafoya was the first Santa Clara Pueblo potter to succeed in marketing traditional utilitarian pottery with decorative non-functional designs. One image she began using was the imprint of a bear paw...
Animated Casper "the friendly ghost" has been giving spooks a good reputation since 1945. The friendly spook first appeared in Paramount's cartoon animation and later in television and comics. Trying to live life as a ghost who would...
Headgear; Ghana; Ghana--Social life and customs; Togo--Social life and customs; Helmets; 1960s
Helmets like this one, called ipiedza, are worn by hunters and warriors among peoples of northern Ghana and Togo in Western Africa during festivals associated with hunting and war. The cow horns represent the large animal's power and strength. Used...
China; China -- Social life and customs; Hats; Headgear; Folklore -- China; Costume -- China; Clothing and dress
Children's hats like these have been worn in China for many centuries. In Chinese culture, the head is considered a very important part of the human body and is well protected, especially on babies. Children's hats depict different creatures and...
China; China -- History; China -- social life and customs; Folk dancing, Chinese; Lions; Dance; Costume; Headgear; Chinese New Year
According to Chinese belief, lions chase away evil spirits and bring good luck, most likely because of their size, strength and fierce nature. Chinese lions are depicted as very colorful and stylized. This mask is a smaller version of a full-sized...
China; China -- History -- Han dynasty, 202 B.C.-220 A.D.; Lions; Lions in art; Sculpture
Chinese lions may not look much like actual lions from Africa, but they share many characteristics with mythical lions found in folklore traditions around the world. According to Chinese belief, lions chase away evil spirits and bring good luck,...
China; China -- History; China -- social life and customs; Fireworks; Firecrackers; Chinese New Year; Holiday decorations
Many Asian cultures, including people of China, celebrate the New Year in the spring. Because the Chinese calendar is based upon the lunar cycle, the New Year falls on a different day each year, usually in January or February. It symbolizes the...
The metallic appearance of this beetle may aid in making it appear more armored to predators. The bright and fluid coloration may serve as a warning to predators since camouflage is not a good survival strategy for this insect.
Hanetsuki is a badminton-like game that was traditionally played by Japanese girls with wooden paddles like this one, called hagoita, and a shuttlecock. Although the game is seldom played today, the paddles are still collected and have become lucky...
Masks; Senufo (African people); Senufo (African people)--Social life and customs; Co^te d'Ivoire; Burkina Faso; Ghana; Mali; Africa, West; Rites and ceremonies
This type of mask, called kpelie, is worn among Senufo peoples of Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Mali in West Africa. It combines a human face with features of different animals. The face is meant to represent the Senufo ideal of female...
China -- Civilization--221 B.C.-960 A.D.; China -- Social life and customs; Footbinding -- China; Shoes; Shoes -- China; Shoes -- History; Footwear; Clothing and dress
For nearly one thousand years, peoples of the Han nationality in China practiced the binding of women's feet, emulating the bud of a lotus flower. The lotus flower symbolizes purity, perfection, and fruitfulness and young girl’s feet were bound...
Japan; Japan -- Social life and customs; Netsukes; Horses in art; Zodiac; Mammoths
Netsuke were first worn in Japan in the 17th century. They were invented because traditional Japanese robes had no pockets. Men who wore them needed a place to keep personal belongings such as pipes, tobacco, money, seals, and medicines. They...
China; Clothing and dress; China--History; Dragons in art; 20th century
A man of nobility or royalty in the Chinese court probably wore this winter robe at the beginning of the 20th century. Made of black silk, embroidered with gold thread and lined with the fur of ermine, the robe is decorated with dragons, a symbol...
Thailand; Thailand - social life and customs; Dwellings; Models and modelmaking
Stilt houses are raised on stilts over soil or a body of water. These houses in Thailand are made of bamboo with harp angled roofs and wooden floorboards. The ceiling is typically high to provide good ventilation. The mattress would be laid on the...
