For almost 3,000 years, the Cherokee people have made pottery in Western North Carolina. The oldest Cherokee pots were large, hand-built, thin-walled, waterproof vessels that were stamped with wooden paddles to create rectilinear and curvilinear designs. The Cherokee used these pots for a variety of […]
This Kalinago basket was collected by Dr. E. Pendleton Banks, the Lam Museum’s founder, during his PhD dissertation research in Dominica in the early 1950s. Dominica, not to be confused with the Dominican Republic, is a small island country in the Windward Islands of the […]
Thangkas are a traditional form of painting associated with Vajrayana Buddhism that is practiced throughout the Himalayan region. In addition to their visual aesthetics, they support meditation, teaching, and ritual practice. Their structures guide attention, regulate perception, and support practices that unfold over time. Historically, […]
The Roman Republic first adopted coinage to trade and pay mercenaries around the time of the First Punic War (264-241 BCE). During the Second Punic War (218-201 BCE), Rome adopted a system that would endure for centuries, based on the silver denarius and the bronze […]
This kina shell necklace comes from the Engan peoples living in Kond Village in the Kandep District of Enga Province in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Based on information given to the collector, it is likely more than 140 years old. The term kina […]
This Maasai shield is from Kenya and dates to the early 20th century. The Maasai are a cultural group of semi-nomadic pastoralists with a population of approximately one million people living primarily in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. This type of shield, known as elongo, […]