On our last trip to the AMNH, I found note-taking a difficult task since there was so much to see in the cultural halls, and labels to note, with many ways to interpret the museum’s representation of each culture. With the different visitors I saw, I could imagine a completely different perspective on these displays; from how children might see it to people who are native to these places. As discussed in class, and as many have noted, the African Peoples Hall was dark, bluish, and a bit dreary considering the bright and loud nature of the costumes on display. I thought this made more sense for the jungle and forest environments, but for deserts and plains I would expect much more light. I didn’t see any dates, and everything was discussed in present tense, as if we were supposed to assume this was the past, or perhaps that these cultures were ongoing. I had mixed feelings about the hut display cases, I found them interesting culturally and architecturally but they felt like inauthentic spectacles that seemed to confirm a stereotype.
I found the Asian Peoples Hall a little overwhelming with all it tried to represent side by side. At the entrance there was a pile of sparkling artifacts from 19th and 20th centuries from various Asian countries, like a marketplace, but do they imply that this a timeless market continuing today? The architecture was ornate and above the doorway “the Lure of Asia” was written, kind of a silly statement. So much diversity was fit into this area, from Imperial Russia (which felt a bit out of place), to tribes of central Asia, an Indian village, to an Islamic temple. I felt the artifacts spoke for themselves a great deal, very uniquely stylistic with particular significance to each culture. Where “Japanese Style” was displayed, I noticed the backgrounds and some artwork looked much more modern than artifacts, with abstract shapes and heavy painted textures.
The Central American Peoples section was very different, it seemed they tried to recreate a temple with beige Aztec-like patterned walls, spot lighting, a giant Olmec head, and many other brightly colored artifacts. I was surprised how modern many of the ancient designs looked. I was also surprised to see a severed skull, since I thought human remains were disputed at the museum.