The San people of southern Africa have lived in the region of the Kalahari Desert for thousands of years. Formerly called “Bushmen,” a label that is now recognized as both racist and sexist, the term San actually refers to a diverse collection of hunter-gatherer groups […]
The Lobi people live primarily in southwest Burkina Faso in West Africa. They migrated to the region from present day Ghana around 1770. Although the Lobi make many types of ceramics, the spikes on this style of pot indicate that it was used as a […]
The Ye’kuana (also referred to as Makiritare) are an indigenous group living in the tropical forest of the Orinoco Basin in southern Venezuela and a small part of northern Brazil. Although estimates vary, the Ye’kuana population is likely fewer than 5,000 people. With their name […]
This mud mask was made by Asaro villagers in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Known today as holosa, which literally translates to ghosts, this type of mask is an early example of the costume of the Asaro mudmen, a prominent cultural symbol […]
This dog sled model was made by a Labrador Inuit craftsman more than 100 years ago. During the winter, dog sleds were the primary means of transportation across land or ice for the Labrador Inuit. The dogs are able to travel long distances even in […]
This ceramic turkey figure is from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, which is recognized as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America. The old Pueblo is called Sky City because of its location atop a sheer-walled 367-foot mesa. Today, only about 50 people live […]