this was our guide, Paul. here he is showing us the cabinets that line the halls of the fifth floor. he explained that because these cabinets are not air tight, and therefore not insect-proof, only archaeology artifacts are kept in these cases because archaeology is made up of non-organic materials while ethnography is typically composed of organic materials.
Paul also told us that they organize the collection by location. this is from Mitla, Oaxca in Mexico. 
these are recently made cochina dolls in the climate controlled ethnography department. they were purchased directly from the artist for about 200 - 300 dollars. 
this the climate controlled ethnography department which has rows and rows of these cabinets. the room is kept at 73 degrees. Paul told us that the ethnography dept. is the only growing dept. now because it is no longer allowed to excavate in a foreign area and bring back the goods. 
this was a painting that was part of a set made for the Museum about health in tibet. i thought this was interesting because the characters depicted often have both penises and breasts. 
this was a kaiak that was out because it was being examined. 
this is a hand embroidered dress from China. 
this is a beaver. it was removed from display because too many people were touching it and such. damn kids. 
this is a bike made completely from paper! Paul explained to us that in Vietnam it is costumary when a person dies, to recreate his or her favorite things out of paper to burn them so their favorite things will be with them in the afterlife. this was created especially for the museum, so no worries, no deseased will be missing their favorite bike in the afterlife. 
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