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Explore Global Cultures

Discover North Carolina’s only museum dedicated to the study of global cultures. Explore stories of humanity, from ancient archaeological sites to the celebrations and struggles of today. Learn about people from around the world through their everyday objects, ceremonial artifacts, and visual arts.

Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00am to 4:30pm. Admission is free.

Featured Exhibits

Day of the Dead exhibit

Life after Death: Celebrating Day of the Dead
Through December 6, 2024

east Asian textiles on exhibit

Poems Made to Wear: Traditional Colors in East Asia
Through August 16, 2025

See All Exhibits

Upcoming Events

Closed for Winter Break

December 7 – January 5

Recent News Stories

Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya Film Screening to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples DayOctober 7, 2024
The Lam on LoanSeptember 9, 2024
Studying WFU Student EngagementJune 5, 2024

See All News Stories

Explore the Collection with the Artifact of the Month

Baule Fly WhiskDecember 2, 2024
Comanche Deer Hide RobeNovember 1, 2024
Mexican MilagrosOctober 7, 2024

See All Artifact of the Month

Find a Craft Activity with Cultures Up Close

See All Cultures Up Close

Stay in Touch

Receive updates on exhibits and events from the Lam Museum

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Dec 6

That's a wrap on 2024 for the Museum! We will be closed through January 5 for Winter Break. We can't wait to see you in the new year!

#lammuseum #winterbreak

Dec 3

Did you know that the funding for our exhibits comes almost exclusively from our members? This #GivingTuesday, we hope you’ll consider a Lam Museum membership. We literally can’t do this without you! Visit the link in our bio to join today.

#lammuseum

Dec 2

Our December #ArtifactOfTheMonth is a Baule fly whisk from the Ivory Coast. It is currently on display in "All the King's Men: Status and Power in Africa." It was purchased by former Lam Museum curator Beverlye Hancock during a trip to the Ivory Coast in 1997. The fly whisk is a traditional symbol of authority that reflects both the power and wealth of its bearer. It is typically carried by a Baule leader, particularly during large public events. On this whisk, the elephant finial represents political power. The gold leaf covering on the carved wood handle displays important connections to the local gold trade. Gold is also associated with ancestors, from whom leaders derive their authority to rule. Additionally, the horsehair whisk indicates the wealth of the ruler as horses are difficult and expensive to keep in the Ivory Coast due to local pests.

This fly whisk is the subject of the Museum’s 2024 Conservation Fund campaign, and we request your financial assistance to have it professionally conserved. The gold leaf is flaking off in several areas, making it extremely fragile to handle. In order to use the fly whisk in teaching following its removal from exhibition in January, it must be conserved. The missing patches of gold leaf need to be filled in, and the existing leaf needs to be stabilized to prevent any additional losses. The help of supporters like you is essential to completing the conservation of this important artifact! Learn more about the Conservation Fund and contribute today via the link in our bio.

#lammuseum #flywhisk #Baule #ivorycoast #cotedivoire #conservation

Nov 26

We will be closed tomorrow through Sunday for Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a happy Turkey Day, and we'll see you next week! 🦃

Nov 19

Did you know that NC has the 9th highest American Indian population in the country with more than 226,000 people? NC has 8 recognized tribes and 4 urban Indian organizations. Check out the map to see which counties these tribes call home today.

#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #americanindianheritagemonth #northcarolina

Nov 14

Did you know that the Museum has objects on display at @zsrlibrary? We are currently showcasing historic American Indian beadwork from the Great Plains - a perfect quick stop to learn something during #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth!

#americanindian #americanindianheritagemonth #greatplains #beadwork

Nov 12

Field trip! The students in Dr. Gurstelle's First Year Seminar "To Curate" visited @mesdagram today to talk about exhibit design. The class is creating an exhibit that will be on display at the Lam early next year.

Nov 4

Happy #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth! Our November #ArtifactOfTheMonth is a beautiful Comanche deer hide robe. This robe is from the mid-1800s and would have been worn by a young girl. Robes like this one were worn as a coat and used as an additional layer in cooler weather. In winter, heavier hides with the animal hair still attached would have been used to provide additional warmth. Although buffalo hide robes are the most common, people wore deer hides, like this one, because they were more comfortable and pliable for everyday clothing.

Hide painting was a widespread art form across the Great Plains. On hide robes like this one, the painting was displayed across the wearer’s back. The most popular colors in these paintings were red and black, as shown here. This geometric design is a recognized pattern called Border and Hourglass. It was a popular motif in the southwest Plains region, especially among the Comanche, and can be associated with curing or healing ceremonies. Geometric designs were traditionally painted by women, while men painted representational ones. On this hide, the hourglass in the center is in the form of a stylized animal. This type of image is the closest representation of a living thing found in geometric designs. Holes from the pegs used to stretch the hide before painting are visible in the upper right side of the robe.

Hide robes like this one are especially significant because there are very few such robes in existence, and examples of #Comanche clothing in museum collections east of the Mississippi are quite rare.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #greatplains #paintedhide

Nov 1

Today is the first day of Día de Muertos, Day of the Dead! The spirits of children, or angelitos, return today, while the spirits of adults return tomorrow. Learn more about the many ways that people celebrate the holiday with a visit to our annual exhibit. Don't worry if you can't make it this weekend though, it will be on display through December 6!

#lammuseum #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos #Mexico

Oct 28

We had a lot of fun at our Calaveritas Workshop yesterday. Thank you to everyone who joined us to learn about Day of the Dead and make skeleton figures!

#lammuseum #wakethearts #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos

Oct 23

Did you know that October is Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Month? We have a Gullah language Bible on display in the linguistics section of our permanent exhibit "Stories of Humanity: Anthropology in North Carolina." Gullah is a distinct creole language (not a dialect) with African linguistic features spoken in Gullah Geechee communities along the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

#lammuseum #Gullah #gullahgeechee #gullahgeecheeculturalheritagemonth #linguistics

Oct 21

Registration for our Calaveritas Workshop will close on Friday, October 25, at noon! Don't miss your chance - register today via the link in our bio.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #dayofthedead #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos #calaveras #wsnc #thingstodoinwsnc

Oct 16

Oct 14

Today is #IndigenousPeoplesDay. Thank you to everyone who attended our event recognizing this important day with a screening of Bring Them Home and a discussion with National Impact Producer Candice Dalsing and CEO of Blackfeet ECO Knowledge Tyson Running Wolf yesterday.

#lammuseum #wakethearts

Oct 10

Spots are still available in our Calaveritas Workshop! Reserve your spot today and come make a Day of the Dead skeleton figure with us! Click on the Events Calendar link in our bio.

#lammuseum #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos #dayofthedead

Oct 8

This Sunday, we will celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day with a free screening of the documentary "Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya" at 4 pm at the Kulynych Auditorium in the Byrum Welcome Center at WFU. The film tells the story of a small group of Blackfeet people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago. The screening will be followed by a discussion with National Impact Producer Candice Dalsing and CEO of Blackfeet ECO Knowledge Tyson Running Wolf. The event will end with a reception catered by Native Root. We hope to see you there!

#lammuseum #IndigenousPeoplesDay #wakethearts #bison #blackfeet #blackfoot

Oct 7

In honor of#HispanicHeritageMonth, our #ArtifactOfTheMonth is this collection of milagros from #Mexico. Small metal charms known as milagros are used throughout Latin America to symbolize prayers. They are pinned to crosses, statues of religious figures, and altars to petition for help and protection. They can also represent thanks for an answered prayer. Some people carry milagros with them for good luck, healing, or protection.

In Mexico, milagros are often used in gratitude as part of a manda or promise. When a person petitions a saint for a favor that is granted, that person must then go to the shrine of the saint and leave a milagro. Sometimes an additional thank you written on a small piece of paper is also left with the charm.

Milagros are a continuation of an ancient European practice of leaving symbolic offerings at shrines combined with similar votive practices in Indigenous Mexican cultures. Iberians, who lived in Spain between the fifth and first centuries BCE, used bronze milagros that look remarkably similar to modern ones. The practice continued in the medieval Spanish Catholic Church, a tradition that the Conquistadors brought to the New World. For the Indigenous people, this practice resembled their rituals of offering gifts to the gods. As a result of this syncretism, the use of milagros spread across Latin America.

Milagros can be made of brass (as seen here), tin, alloys, or precious metals like silver or gold. In their most common form, they are mass produced by artists who stamp them from metal sheets or cast them in molds, creating the small, flat type of charm shown here. However, milagros can come in a range of sizes, and some are three-dimensional. Silversmiths also make custom charms for customers.

The form of a milagro is connected to the problem it aims to solve. However, there is no universal interpretation. They may take the shape of a person or body part to focus healing on a specific area. They can also appear in a wide variety of other forms including angels, animals, fruits, and vegetables.

Today, #milagros are often incorporated into folk art and jewelry in addition to being used for their original religious purpose.

Oct 1

Don't miss this fascinating lecture by Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Suzanne Barber tonight!

#lammuseum #anthropology #China #dogs

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