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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.

Upcoming Events

archaeologists digging in a cave

Booth at Bethabara Park Apple Fest

September 23, 10am-4pm

Lecture: Excavating Our Origins

September 28, 6pm

Indigenous Peoples Day Workshop: Reusable Bags

October 14, 10am-12pm

Recent News Stories

Renowned Archaeologist Dr. Becca Peixotto to Speak at the MuseumSeptember 19, 2023
Museum Acquires New CollectionAugust 30, 2023
Lam Museum Collaborates with Terpsicorps Theatre of DanceJune 5, 2023

Explore the Collection with the Artifact of the Month

Woodland Period Effigy PipeSeptember 1, 2023
Egyptian Taweret AmuletJuly 5, 2023
Tang Dynasty Tea GraterJune 1, 2023

Find a Craft Activity with Cultures Up Close

Pacific Islands: Paint a Tapa ClothMay 31, 2023
Ghana: Weave a Kente ClothFebruary 27, 2023
Native American Heritage Month: Make & Play the Bean GameNovember 22, 2022

Stay in Touch

Receive updates on exhibits and events from the Lam Museum

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Sep 20

We are really excited that Dr. Becca Peixotto, one of the archaeologists who helped excavate the fossils of Homo naledi from the Rising Star Cave System in South Africa, will be speaking at the Museum next week! Check out all the info via the events calendar link in our bio.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #archaeology #homonaledi #risingstarexpedition

Sep 18

We have some great events scheduled this fall! 🍂🍁 You can find all of the details via the Events Calendar link in our bio. We hope to see you soon!
#lammuseum #wakethearts #thingstodo #thingstodoinwsnc #wsnc

Sep 15

Why not kick off #HispanicHeritageMonth with a visit to the Museum? Our exhibits "Life after Death: Celebrating Day of the Dead" and "MINE: What is Ours in the Wake of Extraction" each focus on elements of Latin American culture and feature bilingual text.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #mexico #peru #wsnc #thingstodoinwsnc #free

Sep 12

"Life after Death: Celebrating Day of the Dead" is now open! Watch to see how the exhibit comes together.
#lammuseum #wakethearts #DayOfTheDead #diademuertos #diadelosmuertos

Sep 9

"MINE: What is Ours in the Wake of Extraction" is now open!
This exhibit features contemporary artworks by the Etochime Harakbut Artist Collective that amplify Indigenous worldviews, specifically as they pertain to land, sustainability, and the impact of extractive industries on the Harakbut Indigenous community from the region of Madre de Dios in the Peruvian Amazon—an area heavily contaminated by an illegal gold mining boom over the past 20 years. MINE also features works relevant to the theme of resource extraction by a South African art project known as PLOT, thus drawing parallels between distinct geographic locations with shared extractive impacts.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #peru #IndigenousArt #illegalmining

Sep 5

Our September #ArtifactOfTheMonth is a Woodland Period effigy pipe from Clay County, NC. Smoking tobacco for religious and social reasons became widespread in North Carolina around 3000 years ago, at the beginning of what archaeologists call the Woodland Period. Though archaeologists rarely find the ancient plant itself, they do often turn up the stone pipes used for smoking. This example is from Clay County, NC, in the far western part of the state. It has been carved from steatite, also known as soapstone, into the form of a bird.

Archaeologists frequently use the term “effigy” to refer to representational art made by ancient people in North America. Pipes, sculptures, pottery, and earthen mounds that resemble animals or people are described as effigies to point out that the creators intended them to stand in for the real thing. This follows the more common way that the word “effigy” is used as a description for a model that is violently destroyed. For example, Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in England by burning an effigy mannequin of the historic criminal.

But is this word accurate to describe the Native American artifacts? There is no evidence that representational artworks were symbolically destroyed—a key implication of the term “effigy.” Could a better word be used? Is there a word that conveys the actual cultural meaning and nuance of the bird-shaped pipe? The word “effigy,” along with dozens of other terms used in the Lam Museum database, was reviewed this summer by WFU sophomore Nick Beckom who initiated a long-term project to update archival descriptions to be more accurate, inclusive, and visitor-centered. You can explore our artifact database via the link in our bio.

#lammuseum #woodlandperiod #pipe

Sep 1

The Museum will be Saturday-Monday for #LaborDay. Hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Aug 24

Exhibit planning behind the scenes...

#lammuseum #museumwork

Aug 18

She's here! We are so excited to have her for our new Day of the Dead exhibit! Just a short disclaimer: We do not generally collect dolls. We do not want your dolls. This is a special exception because the new interpretation in our Day of the Dead exhibit specifically mentions Day of the Dead Barbie.

#lammuseum #DayOfTheDead #diademuertos #diadelosmuertos #barbie #unboxing

Aug 15

New at the Lam: Recent Acquisitions" closes on Saturday. Don't miss your chance to see this beautiful exhibit!

Aug 3

Look for us this Saturday at @bethabarapark for their Indigenous Peoples & Moravians: A Celebration of Cultures! We'll be in the auditorium where you can see Native American artifacts from the Yadkin River Valley, crack nuts with a nutting stone, and play Native American games. Hope to see you there!

Jul 26

Don't miss Museum Education Tina Smith at Lesser Known Beer Company tomorrow at 6pm for a talk about the history of beer sponsored by @fcpubliclibrary. Hope to see you there!

Jul 24

This is our final week of summer programs at @fcpubliclibrary! We hope to see you as we learn about the Amazon and India.

#lammuseum #thingstodo #free #wsnc

Jul 20

Have you ever wondered what our students do in the summer? Click the News link in our bio to read about how two of them are pursuing international research.

#lammuseum #studentresearch

Jul 10

We have a new virtual exhibit for you to explore! Curated by Michelle Ye ('25), "Saddle Rugs and Tibetan Culture" is now online. You can find it via the Virtual Exhibits link in our bio.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #virtualexhibit #tibet #saddlerug #studentcurator

Jul 6

We had a great time at @wsdashbaseball last night until the downpour started!

#lammuseum #wsdash

Jul 5

As we look forward to our upcoming collaboration with @terpsicorps and their debut of Cleopatra, our June #ArtifactOfTheMonth is an ancient #Egyptian amulet of the goddess Taweret. You'll be able to see the amulet in person at the show!

This amulet dates to the Late Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt, between 664 and 332 BCE. It served as a personal devotional charm of Taweret, a goddess of childbirth and protector of women and children. Taweret was responsible for protecting women during pregnancy and childbirth by scaring off evil spirits who might harm the mother or child. She also assisted women with matters of sexuality and pregnancy. She was both nurturing and ferocious.

Taweret is represented by a combination of animals. She has the head and body of a pregnant hippopotamus standing upright. Her mouth is usually open to show her intimidating tusks. She has the paws of a lion and the back and tail of a crocodile. These fierce creatures, who were known to kill to protect their young, were both feared and respected by Egyptians, and they combine to produce a powerful deity. Her human breasts and hair show her nurturing and motherly side. Depicting her as pregnant demonstrates her capacity to raise children.

Taweret was a widely worshipped household deity who helped all Egyptian women regardless of social or economic status. She first appeared in the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BCE) as the mother of the pharaoh. However, production of amulets in her image increased substantially in the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE) with the rise of more personal devotion. She was primarily worshipped through domestic shrines rather than large temples, reflecting a more intimate relationship with the goddess. Small amulets like this one, only 2 ¾ inches tall, were often carried by pregnant women.

Taweret eventually became popular beyond Egypt, with depictions appearing in both Crete and Nubia. Additionally, some research indicates that she remains popular with modern day Egyptian women.

#lammuseum #wakethearts #egypt #taweret

Jun 30

The Museum will be closed Saturday, July 1 through Tuesday, July 4 for Independence Day. Hope you have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

#independenceday #4thofjuly

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