American Museum of Natural History. Southwest Indian Hall

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Exist Dates

approximately 1904 - pproximately 1963-1966

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract
Permanent exhibition. Opened approximately 1904 and closed approximately 1963-1966. Located on Floor 2, Section 4 from approximately 1904 to 1910 and Floor 1, Section 8 from 1910 to approximately 1966. The Southwest Indian Hall at the American Museum of Natural History opened as part of a new wing along with the Philippine Islands, South Sea Islands, and African Ethnology halls (1, 1910, p. 16). The hall exhibited ethnological objects of Native American cultures from the Southwest United States. The Hyde Exploring Expedition (1893-1899) contributed to gathering material for the hall (2, 1918, p. 21). Curators included Pliny Earle Goddard, Herbert J. Spinden, and Nels C. Nelson (AR 1913 p. 24). Artists for various groups included Mahonri Young, Howard MacCormick, Ushinosuke Narahara, and Louis Akin (1, 1915, p. 80; 3; 4; 1, 1912, p. 31). Major funding was provided by Museum Trustee Archer M. Huntington (1, 1913, p. 24).

Early exhibits on the second floor from circa 1904-1910 included those on the people of present-day California, southwestern United States, and northern Mexico, including the Hopi, Navajo, Pomo, Mutsun, Maidu, Shasta, Wintun, Pit River, Yoruk, Huichol (Wixáritari), Tepehuane (Tepehuan), Tarahumara (Rarámuri), Cora, Tarasco (Purépecha). Exhibits included objects from the Pueblo Bonito ruin in Chaco Canyon, the William Demuth Collection of pipes, the Basket Makers of Southeastern Utah, and mannequin groups. Tribes from southern Mexico and Guatemala were also represented in the hall despite greater representation from these geographic areas in the Hall of Mexico and Central America. Casts of two stelae from Quirigua, Guatamala, also more closely related the Hall of Mexico and Central America, were exhibited in the Southwest Indian Hall for lack of space in the former (2, 1904, p. 33-36). The collections from Mexico and Central America fully moved into this space in 1910, and the Southwest Indian Hall moved to the first floor.

From 1910, the hall featured exhibits on Southwest cultural groups including the Hopi, Apache, Navajo, Zuni, Pima, Havasupai, Papago, Pueblo, Acoma, Laguna, Santo Domingo, Indians of California and Northern Mexico, prehistoric cliff-dwellers, Ancestral Pueblo Indians and Aztecs (GG 1911 p. 24; GG 1916 p. 33; GG 1918 p. 21; GG 1931 p. 46; GG 1934 p. 54; GG 1939 p. 125). Items exhibited included pottery, basketry, masks, clothing, turquoise, and Navajo blankets and silverwork (GG 1939 p. 128).

The hall included diorama and miniature groups of Hopi, Navajo, and Apache by artists Mahorni Young, Howard MacCormick, and Ushinosuke Narahara, which included models of an Apache woman building a house, a Navajo medicine lodge, and the Hopi Snake Dance (1, 1915 p. 80; 3; 4; 1, 1912, p. 31). Louis Akin began murals for hall, but died before their completion (1, 1912, p. 31). Models of pueblos at Acoma and De Taos, models of homes of cliff-dwellers on the walls (2, 1911, p.24), and specimens from Aztec ruins with a scale model (2, 1931, p. 46) were also exhibited.

In 1927, as part of a larger experiment that included other halls, a projected narrow-width film of Hopi pottery-making and basket-weaving ran for 50 days with a count of 9,732 viewers (1, 1927, p. 102). The hall also displayed other temporary exhibits during its tenure (1, 1929, p. 70).

In 1932, the Curator-in-Chief, possibly Pliny Goddard or Nels Nelson, collaborated with W.S. Stallings in New Mexico for an exhibit on dating Southwestern ruins using the tree ring method; Schoichi Ichikawa installed the exhibit in the hall. In 1932, the Curator-in-Chief, possibly Pliny Goddard or Nels Nelson, collaborated with W.S. Stallings in New Mexico to create an exhibit using the tree ring method of dating Southwest ruins, and Schoichi Ichikawa installed the exhibit in the hall (1, 1932, p. 64).

Sources

    (1) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Reports. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1910-1929.
    (2) American Museum of Natural History. General Guide to [the Exhibition Halls of] the American Museum of Natural History. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1904-1932.
    (3) Research Library Digital Special Collections. "Apache Group, Southwest Indian Hall, 1917,” accessed April 4, 2017, http://lbry-web-007.amnh.org/digital/items/show/47815
    (4) Research Library Digital Special Collections. "Miniature group illustrating Hopi Snake Dance, detail, Indians of the Southwest Hall, 1940,” accessed April 4, 2017, http://lbry-web-007.amnh.org/digital/items/show/46910.
    Information for the hall appears in the following Museum publications:
    American Museum of Natural History Annual Reports for years 1910 (page 16); 1911 (page 23); 1912 (page 31); 1913 (page 24, 68); 1914 (page 21, 74); 1915 (page 23, 80); 1917 (page 91); 1921 (page 104); 1923 (page 127); 1927 (page 102); 1929 (page 79); 1932 (page 64); 1935 (page 14); 1936 (page 35, 48); 1937 (page 18); 1938 (page 11)
    American Museum of Natural History General Guides for years 1904 (page 33); 1911 (page 13, 24); 1913 (page 31); 1914 (page 32); 1916 (page 33); 1918 (page 21); 1919 (page 22); 1920 (page 22); 1921 (page 22); 1922 (page 22); 1923 (page 22); 1926 (page 37); 1927 (page p.37); 1928 (page 28); 1929 (page 28); 1930 (page 28); 1931 (page 45); 1932 (page 45); 1933 (page 47); 1934 (page 54); 1935 (page 54); 1936 (page 54); 1939 (page 16, 126, 128); 1943 (page 16, 134, 135); 1945 (page 16, 134, 135); 1947 (page 16, 134, 135); 1949 (page 16, 134, 135); 1953 (page 169, 171); 1956 (page 174, 175); 1958 (page 176); 1962 (page 16)

Terms

place
New YorkExternal link
AMNH: Floor 1, Section 8. [Additional location information: West Wing, Hall Number 1-D.]

Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

Akin, Louis 1868-1913
Artist, murals in hall (1, 1911, p. 23).
Goddard, Pliny Earle 1869-1928
Curator, led dxpedition to Southwest to collect material for hall (1, 1913, p. 24).
Gray, Prentiss N. (Prentiss Nathaniel), 1884-1935External link
Donor, funded film shown in hall (1, 1927, p. 102).
Huntington, Archer M. (Archer Milton) 1870-1955External link
Hall donor (1, 1913, p. 24).
Hyde Exploring Expedition (1893-1899)
Expedition collected material for hall (2, 1916, p. 33).
Ichikawa, Schoichi
Museum artist, Hopi and Apache groups (4).
McCormick, Howard
Museum artist, worked on exhibition dating Southwest ruins (1, 1932, p. 64).
Narahara, Ushinosuke
Museum artist, Hopi Snake Dance miniature group (1, 1911, p. 23).
Nelson, Nels C. (Nels Christian) 1875-1964
Curator, led expedition to Southwest to collect material for hall (1, 1913, p.24).
Phelps, Southwick
Museum volunteer, worked on exhibits (1, 1936, p. 35).
Spinden, Herbert Joseph 1879-1967
Curator, led expeditions to Southwest to collect material for the hall (1, 1913, p.24).
Stallings, W. S. (William Sidney), 1910-External link
Worked on exhibition dating Southwest ruins (1, 1932, p. 64).
Underwood, Florence
Museum volunteer, created chronological chart of Southwest cultures (1, 1932, p. 64).
Young, Mahonri 1877-1957
Museum artist, sculptures in Hopi Group (1, 1913, p. 24).

Related Resources

subjectOf
Historic Halls of the American Museum of Natural History
Curated digital images of permanent halls in the American Museum of Natural History Library, Digital Special Collections.

Written by: Clare O'Dowd
Last modified: 2018 December 7


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