The Taino are indigenous people of the Caribbean and the first Native group to encounter Columbus. For the Taino, the term zemi can refer to a deity or ancestral spirit as well as the object or sculpture containing the spirit. The sculptures appear in a […]
The Akan people of Ghana often decorate their textiles, like this cloth, with Adinkra symbols. These symbols have been used for centuries to express different aesthetic themes such as strength, longevity, and remembrance. There are hundreds of documented symbols. They are applied to the dyed […]
La Catrina is a skeletal woman who portrays a maid dressed in her mistress’s fancy clothes for a night out. Illustrator José Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913) created her to remind people that in death we are all equal, and earthly riches cannot be taken to the […]
This Buddhist divination text is from Thailand and is likely at least 100 years old. Written in Old Thai, the text describes the six realms of existence in the Samsara, or cycle of rebirth, and how to achieve a favorable state in the next cycle. […]
Moccasins are the typical footwear for Plains Indians, such as the Lakota Sioux, as well as other Native groups across the United States. The hard moccasin style, like this child’s pair, originated in the Southwest. They have stiff rawhide soles that are sewn to soft […]