Toys; Helicopters; Models and modelmaking; Vietnam; Art -- Vietnam; Folk Art -- Vietnam; Nineteen nineties
Toys made from recycled materials have developed into an art form all their own in many parts of the world. Sometimes, children make them to play with. However, often times, teenagers and adults create them to sell to tourists or to distributors of...
Indians of North America -- Dwellings; Woodland Indians
Long ago, before trade brought different goods and lifeways to this region, Native Peoples of the Woodland area made their homes, wiikiaami, from strong wood frames with natural coverings. This contemporary model was made from the traditional...
Toys; Toy making; Airplanes; Handicraft -- Africa; Art, African; Burkina Faso; France -- Colonies -- Africa; Recycling (Waste, etc.)
Can you find the clues that tell how and where this artifact was made? If you look closely at the multi-colored metal, you can see pictures of little Dutch boys, dairy cows and windmills. This toy was made from "Bonnet Rouge" brand...
Toys; Toy making; Hydrocopters; Handicraft -- Africa; Burkina Faso; France -- Colonies -- Africa; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Art, African
Can you find the clues that tell how and where this artifact was made? If you look closely at the multi-colored metal, you can see pictures of little boys and girls wearing Dutch wooden shoes and the words "milk," "sweetened"...
Pendants (Jewelry); Indians of North America -- Antiquities; Indians of North America -- Ohio; Hopewell culture -- Ohio; Adena culture -- Ohio; Mound-builders; Mississippian culture; Woodland indians
Banded slate objects like these were created by prehistoric Native Americans by grinding slate against other hard rocks or materials to create a desired shape and smoothness. Although archaeologists aren’t certain, many believe that these types...
Gautama Buddha; Wood-carving; Sculpture; China; China -- Social life and customs; 1900s
The Chinese thought that soft pillows robbed the body of vitality, so their pillows were made of wood, leather, and ceramic materials. Some were even filled with herbal remedies to cure disease, turn white hair black, restore lost teeth, and...
Pakistan; Pakistan -- Social life and customs; Baskets; Implements, utensils, etc.; Wheat
Over 70% of crops in Pakistan are harvested manually with sickles, curved, hand-held tools typically used for harvesting grain crops. The wheat is then threshed, dried and cleaned. Women usually clean the grain manually using the winnowing basket....
A slit shell can be easily identified by a large notch or “slit” in the side of the shell. These mollusks dwell in tropical and subtropical waters at depths of 500 to 600 feet. The slit shell feeds as a grazer by filtering and raking organic...
Meteorites are one of the few extraterrestrial, from outer space, materials scientists have to study. Most meteorites found on the ground are iron, which are very dense and appear quite different from ordinary rock. This is a Gibeon meteorite made...
Indians of South America; Indians of South America --Social life and customs; Indians of South America --Amazon River Region; Masks; Brazil; Indian dance--South America
Known as a "Tapirape upe", or enemy warrior mask, this mask is decorated with the feathers of macaw and other parrots, as well as with freshwater mother-of-pearl shell, bone, wood, fiber and beeswax. These natural materials are found in...
Airplanes; Airplanes -- Models; Toys; Paper toys; 1940s; World War 1939-1945
General Mills cereals made these toy model airplane kits complete with instructions in 1944. When tin toys were so popular, why would the toy be paper? During World War II (1941-45 for the United States), kids as well as adults had to "make...
The Edmontosaur is a well known member of the Hadrosaur (Duck-bill dinosaur) family. The diamond shape teeth of Edmontosaurs developed in groups called dental batteries. These sharp teeth helped the dinosaur consume the fibrous plant materials that...
Toys; E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial, in his adventure on Earth (Motion picture); Nineteen eighties
E.T. was a 1982 movie directed by Steven Spielberg about a "gentle, long-fingered alien" who is accidentally stranded on earth with one goal--to return home. He is befriended by a 10-year old, his brother and sister and their friends....
Quilts; Quilting; Depressions -- 1929; Del Rio (Tex.); African Americans -- Social life and customs; Sewing; African American quilts
Made in Del Rio, Texas by Mary Williams, this quilt includes leftover pieces of clothing. During the Great Depression (1929-1939), the quilt maker had to use materials on hand. Many adults struggled to earn enough money to feed their families. Many...
During World War II, United States residents pinched and saved so that troops overseas would have the materials and foods they needed. Everyone pitched in. Children helped in many ways. Indianapolis Public School #72 students received this Minute...
Papua New Guinea; Papua New Guinea - social life and customs; Marriage customs and rights; Shells; Dowry; Brides
Among many of the indigenous peoples of Papua New Guinea, items from their environment, like shells and ivory from boar's tusks, were valuable. Traded from group to group, resources from the coasts could be obtained by people living further inland....
This mineral is named after the site where it was discovered, in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. It is found in various shades of green. It is formed in an alteration of other copper materials, usually in arid, saline (salty) rich conditions....
Akha (Asian people); Thailand; Women, Akha -- Social life and customs; Headgear; Hats; Women's hats
Hats of this style are worn by married women of the U Lo Akha peoples in Thailand. Originally from Tibet, the Akha now live in the mountains of China, Laos Myanmar (Burma) and northern Thailand. Like much of Akha attire, it is highly embellished...
But Where Do You Sit? Frivolous, fun furniture in bright colors and kitschy themes expanded furniture's playfulness in the 1960s. Innovative Italian designers pioneered new ideas, materials and "anti-design" shapes in domestic...
Fire extinction; Fire pumps; Fire extinction -- Equipment and supplies; Japan; 19th Century
Today firefighters wear lots of protective gear made of high-tech, nonflammable materials. In 19th century Japan, these options were not available. Japanese firemen wore coats, pants, gloves and hats made of thick fabric made from several layers of...
