Anchor: #
How do environment, history and inherent human ingenuity combine to influence our lifestyle? Compare and contrast the clothing, homes, ceremonial masks, hunting and gathering tools, and other objects of everyday life from distinct Native American cultures that once dominated harsh tundras in the Arctic and lush coastal forests along the Pacific Northwest. Many objects in this gallery were collected in the 1890s for the Chicago World’s Fair that gave birth to The Field Museum. These galleries portray a unique era when these groups struggled to maintain their customs while facing increased contact with western cultures.
In the Alsdorf Hall of Northwest and Arctic Peoples, you can:
- Gaze up at totem poles that once towered over communities along the Northwest coast.
- Compare the bold carving and colors of spiritual masks from the Northwest coast to the spare aesthetic of masks made by Arctic peoples.
- Visit a Northwest coast home built of majestic redwoods and an Arctic home built almost underground to keep out the cold.
- Examine a carved wood fishing boat, a sealskin kayak, and other tools for fishing in these environments.