Ivar’s Birthday Bargain: $1.08 Menu Items Served up on March 19; plus free cake pops for the first 108 guests.
SEATTLE, March 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — He recently missed having a ferry named in his honor, but Ivar Haglund would have never missed a chance to shell-ebrate with a party! In that spirit, on Tuesday, March 19, all Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants, including Seafood Bars and full service restaurants throughout Washington State, will commemorate what would have been Ivar Haglund’s 108th birthday by offering special $1.08 dining deals in honor of their “flounder.”
As part of Ivar’s annual birthday festivities, throughout the day guests can purchase one full-priced entree and receive a second entree from a special birthday menu for just $1.08, simply by exclaiming “Happy Birthday, Ivar” when placing the order. In addition to the birthday discounts, Ivar’s will also treat the first 108 guests at each of its locations to a delicious blueberry birthday cake pop, one of Haglund’s favorite flavors.
To add to the festivities, Ivar’s is also hosting a two-week “Ivar Haglund Birthday Video and Photo Contest” (March 6-20) on its Facebook page. Fans can enter by uploading a creative video or photo wishing happy birthday to Haglund, for a chance to net a $108 Ivar’s gift card or other great prizes. Winners will be selected based on originality and creativity by a panel of Ivar’s judges. Enter at www.facebook.com/IvarsRestaurants by March 20.
Ivar Haglund began the popular restaurant chain bearing his name in 1938, when he opened a fish and chips stand at his Seattle aquarium, which was located on the Waterfront at Pier 3 (now Pier 54). He was well known for his popular radio ditties, as well as his comical stunts such as clam eating contests, taking advantage of a train-car syrup spill, and an Ivar’s clam postage stamp. He passed away in 1985 just shy of his 80th birthday. The history behind Ivar Haglund can be found on Ivar’s website. This year also marks a significant milestone, as it’s the company’s 75th anniversary, with more details revealed later this spring.
The birthday bargain is available all day long at any of the 23 Ivar’s Seafood Bars throughout the state, excluding stadium locations. All Ivar’s full service locations are also in on the action, including Ivar’s Acres of Clams on Seattle’s waterfront, Ivar’s Salmon House on north Lake Union, and Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing overlooking Possession Sound.
About Ivar’s Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants began on Seattle’s waterfront in 1938. Today, there are 23 Ivar’s fast casual Seafood Bars and three full-service restaurants: Ivar’s Acres of Clams, Ivar’s Salmon House and Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing. Ivar’s Seafood, Soup and Sauce Company markets and sells its award-winning soups, chowders and sauces both nationally and internationally. The company also operates regional stadium concessions including Safeco Field, CenturyLink Field, KeyArena, Bank of America Arena, Husky Stadium and Cheney Stadium. Learn more at http://www.ivars.com/.
Wildlife biologists from Stillaguamish, Tulalip and Western Washington University sample DNA from elk scat.
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Wildlife biologists from the Stillaguamish and Tulalip tribes are testing a new way to track the population of the Nooksack elk herd using the animals’ scat.
Tribal biologists have partnered with Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment to determine the most efficient way to collect DNA from elk scat. Genetic material can be found in the intestinal mucus coating the pellets. This winter, biologists sampled fresh scat using toothpicks and cotton swabs, submitting the samples to a genetics lab to determine which method is most effective at providing an animal’s unique genotype.
“This is a non-invasive method that does not require collaring animals or helicopter time to survey them,” said Stillaguamish biologist Jennifer Sevigny.
While the current method of using tracking collars and aerial surveys is expensive, it allows state and tribal wildlife managers to determine the bull-to-cow and cow-to-calf ratios needed to set harvest levels. To fit elk with tracking collars, the animals must be captured and tranquilized.
In the spring, the Stillaguamish and Tulalip tribes plan to coordinate a large population survey, sampling elk scat in the North Cascades Mountains, including forested landscapes that are hard to monitor during aerial surveys.
“Once individual elk are identified by their DNA, a population estimate can be obtained by re-sampling an area and comparing the number of originally identified individuals – the marked animals – to the newly identified animals – the unmarked animals,” said Tulalip wildlife manager Mike Sevigny.
During the past two decades, tribal and state co-managers completed numerous habitat restoration projects to improve forage for the Nooksack herd, which had declined to about 300 animals by 2003. According to 2012 aerial surveys, the herd has rebounded to as many as 1,400 elk.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a comprehensive report in September 2012, of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) veterans. There are over 154,000 AI/AN veterans in the U.S. with over 6,000 in Washington state.
“American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Veterans have played a vital role in the United States military for over two hundred years. Recognizing their long history of distinguished service, this report seeks to provide comprehensive statistics on this important cohort of Veterans through an examination of AIAN Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard data together with demographic, socioeconomic, and health status statistics for AIAN Veteran, “states the U.S. dept of veteran affairs.
Native Americans serve in the U.S. Armed Forces at a higher rate per capita than any other ethnic group and have had more female servicemembers than any other group of servicemembers. The report, titled “American Indian and Alaska Servicemembers and Veterans,” shows that AI/AN alos have higher unemployment rates and aren’t recieving health care.
The Veterans Health Administration Office of rural Health states, “Native Veterans face many challenges to receiving adequate care. These challenges include long distances to care with few transportation resources and limited access to specialty care. Rural Native Veterans must sort out an often confusing mix of local and federal health care providers with overlapping and sometimes inconsistent coverage across Native, local, state, and federal levels. Frequently, Native practices in health and healing are not well-integrated into care they receive from clinics or hospitals. Finally, rural Native Veterans often are among the most impoverished with little access to training opportunities and few viable prospects for employment—all factors which are closely tied to poor health outcomes,”
US Census Bureau populations
Here are some statistics from the study:
The unemployment rate of AI/AN vets is 7.1%
The unemployment rate for vets of all other races is 4.9%
15.3% of AI/AN vets who do not have health insurance
6.3%of vets of all other races who do not have health insurance
36.4% AI/AN vets who suffer from one or more disability
26.2% of vets of all other races who suffer from one or more disability
18.9% AI/AN vets who have a service-connected disability rating
15.6% of vets of all other races who have a service-connected disability rating
The 11th annual Everett Home and Garden Show returns to Comcast Arena at Everett this weekend.
2013 Everett Home and Garden Show – 11th Year
Multiple Shows – Friday-Sunday, March 8, 9, 10
Hours: Friday: Noon to 8pm. Saturday: 10am to 7pm.
Sunday: 10am to 5pm (On Sunday a Day Light Savings Time Special) – Everyone to arrive between 10am and 11am will get in FREE.
Tickets available At Comcast Arena doors day of show.
Adults: $6.75. Seniors $6.25 $2 off Admission Coupons on our Website EverettHomeGardenShow.com
Free Parking in the Snohomish County Garage on Saturday and Sunday sponsored by BECU
Free parking in the Everpark Garage, 2815 Hoyt Ave on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Now in its 11th year the Everett Home & Garden Show has grown into the largest and only Home & Garden show in Snohomish County. It is “Your Home Improvement Source”, this year featuring the perfect opportunity to shop and compare the finest companies in the Snohomish and enjoy the numerous special features presented, plus everything you would need to make those lawn, garden and home transformations you’ve always wanted.
Guest Speakers •Bob Barca
• Northwest Master Gardener on growing berries in the Northwest, The Butterfly-Hummingbird Garden, water features and March garden activities.
•Steve Smith – The Whistling Gardener of Sunnyside Nursery
•Robert King – The “Deck King” with new deck products and demonstrations
•and more!
WSU Extension Service will have their Master Gardeners on hand to answer your questions.
Special interactive exhibits featuring: •Whispering Pines Landscape
•NW Quality Deck & Remodeling
•American Patio Covers
•WALP – Snohomish County Chapter of the Washington Association of Landscape Professional.
Wine Tasting sponsored by Dunn Lumber on Friday evening 5:30p to 6:30pm
Most voters in the state oppose higher transportation taxes, according to a new Elway Poll. The news comes as the Legislature considers raising revenue for highways and transit.
By Andrew Garber, Seattle Times Olympia bureau
OLYMPIA — A new poll showing most voters oppose additional transportation taxes highlights the hurdles lawmakers face when it comes to finding more money for highways and transit.
A Stuart Elway poll of 412 registered voters found that 72 percent oppose a higher gas tax and
62 percent oppose an increase in the car tab. The poll has a margin of error of 5 percentage points, plus or minus.
Those two taxes would provide most of the revenue in a nearly $10 billion transportation plan proposed by House Democrats last month, with the state gas tax already among the highest in the nation, rising to 47.5 cents within five years.
“I think it’s a hard sale to the public,” said Elway, a Seattle pollster. Not only did his poll find strong opposition to new taxes, but also that voters “don’t think there’s that big of a problem.”
The Elway Poll showed
70 percent of the voters, surveyed between Feb. 28 and March 2, rated the state’s transportation system as “satisfactory” or better.
Senate Transportation Committee co-Chairman Curtis King, R-Yakima, said the poll reinforced his belief that there’s no need to push through a transportation package this session.
Republicans control the Senate, while Democrats control the House and governor’s office.
“It’s kind of what I’ve been saying all along,” King said. “I don’t think the public is ready to have new taxes put on them.”
House Transportation Chairwoman Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, said she wasn’t surprised by the poll, adding it won’t change her mission to do something this session.
“If we made all our decisions based on (polls) we wouldn’t get anything done,” she said.
The Legislature could decide to approve a tax package or send it to voters.
What does Clibborn take away from the survey?
“It tells us that it’s a heavy lift, and I never thought it would be anything but a heavy lift,” she said. Also, “it tells me that you have a lot of educating to do around what a revenue package would get you.”
She noted Elway’s poll did not ask voters about specific projects that would be funded by the increase in taxes. ”If you put projects in you’d get a different answer,” she said.
Elway, in his poll, pointed out he did not list projects and said “in theory, such a list would increase support by promising improvements in every part of the state.”
The House Democrats’ plan would plow billions of dollars into highway projects such as extensions of Highways 167 and 509, as well as Interstate 405 lanes, and ferry operations and terminals. It also would provide money to help build a new Columbia River bridge to Portland, widen Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass and reduce Interstate 5 congestion around Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The current proposal would increase the state gas tax by 10 cents over five years. Washington currently has the nation’s ninth-highest gas tax.
In addition, it would create a car-tab tax equal to 0.7 percent of a vehicle’s value — $140 for a $20,000 car.
There’s also a $25 sales fee on bicycles worth $500 or more that would raise $1 million over 10 years, a nod to motorists who complain bicyclists don’t pay their fair share.
Republicans have talked about the need for reforms before being willing to discuss additional money for transportation. They see that as possibly a multiyear process.
“What’s important now is we have too many problems,” House GOP Leader Richard DeBolt said. “We have to fix our problems before we can fund anything else. We have to build confidence with the people that we are spending their money correctly.”
House Republicans are expected to come out with proposals later this week.
A coalition of business, labor and environmental groups is pushing the Legislature to advance some transportation package this session.
Jeff Johnson, president of the Washington State Labor Council, said it’s too early to get worried.
“You never want to see a negative poll. But this debate has just started,” he said. “So I’m not overly concerned about it yet.”
WASHINGTON — Every summer since 1979, Kim Hubert has fished for sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay. It’s a family business in tiny Togiak that has, from time to time, also employed his wife and three children.
Hubert and his 21-year-old daughter work the nets now. They’re small permit holders who may catch and sell thousands of salmon in their nets each year, depending on the success of the run.
“We’ve got a fish camp out there, we enjoy the people and the bay and the work,” said Hubert, 58, a retired schoolteacher who lives in Eagle River. “Some years we lose a few bucks, and some years we make a few.”
They and other fishermen have been casting a wary eye on Washington, where the Food and Drug Administration is considering whether AquaBounty, a Massachusetts-based company with a lab on Prince Edward Island in Canada and growing facilities in Panama, may sell genetically engineered salmon to consumers in the United States.
More than 33,000 fishermen, environmentalists, food safety advocates and others have written to the FDA with concerns about the agency’s preliminary findings. Among the worries is that the genetically engineered fish might escape and mix with wild salmon. The company says that’s unlikely, not only because the fish are sterile but also because of its production process.
But there’s a reason that Alaska bans salmon fish farms in the state, the Sitka Conservation Society, an environmental group in southeast Alaska, said in its letter to the FDA. They fear that the company will expand to the U.S., where the fish would be closer to native salmon populations.”
These farms pollute water with concentrated fish waste and feed, spread sea lice and ultimately lead to escapement and interbreeding,” the organization said. “If genetically modified salmon are permitted, it will be only a matter of time before they are muddling the pure wild population in Alaska.”
Mostly, though, fishermen in Alaska fear that the new, faster-growing farmed fish would threaten their livelihood eventually by flooding the market with cheap fish. They’re also pressing for the AquaBounty salmon to be labeled as genetically engineered because they think that their wild-caught, more expensive product is superior. They want no confusion in the marketplace.”
In some ways I felt threatened,” Hubert said. “The threat may not be immediate, but I think down the line there could be some repercussions. We’ve had a lot of issues with labeling, and the ability (of consumers) to choose and know where the fish come from: what kind of stocks, whether they’re farmed or wild fish.”
Aqua Bounty has applied for federal approval to commercially produce a growth-enhanced, transgenic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). At 18 months, the transgenic fish is clearly much larger than the same-age normal fish. But overall growth of the same generation of fish evens out by 36 months. (Image Credit: Aqua Bounty Technologies)
The AquaBounty fish are Atlantic salmon that have been genetically altered with growth genes from a Chinook salmon and a sea eel. That makes them grow faster than other farmed Atlantic salmon, although they don’t get any bigger than regular salmon.
The FDA issued a preliminary finding in late December that the fish, known as the AquAdvantage Salmon, is as safe as eating conventional Atlantic salmon and that there’s a reasonable certainty of no harm in consuming it. The agency also issued a draft environmental assessment that there’s little chance of environmental harm from farming the fish.
However, after pressure from Congress — especially from Alaska lawmakers — the FDA in February extended the public comment period on its findings by 60 days. People have until April 26 to weigh in, and after that the agency will decide whether to issue a final report or pursue a more comprehensive environmental impact statement.
AquaBounty executives aren’t currently granting interviews. The company’s last public statement came in mid-February, when the FDA announced that it would extend the comment period. AquaBounty Chief Executive Officer Ron Stotish said at the time that they weren’t pleased with the delay.
Some food safety advocates are pushing for the FDA to do a full environmental review. They’re also petitioning the agency to consider the AquaBounty fish as a food additive rather than as an animal drug. The FDA uses its animal drug process to consider the safety of all potential genetically modified animals sold as food.
That change would make the approval process more transparent, as well as focus on the safety of the salmon as food, said Patty Lovera, the assistant director of Food & Water Watch. It joined Consumers Union, which is the advocacy division of Consumer Reports, and the nonprofit Center for Food Safety to petition the FDA.”
We just think it’s really deficient on the food front,” Lovera said. “What do we really know about allergies? What do we know about nutrition profile? That stuff’s really sketchy in that application that they put in. And we’d like to see a lot more of that, considering you’re going to eat the whole thing.”
People and animals already consume plenty of genetically modified grains, which aren’t required to be labeled in the U.S. A ballot measure requiring such labeling failed recently in California.
But the fish are the first genetically engineered animals being considered for human consumption in the U.S., and the approval process is being closely watched in the biotech field.
There’s a huge market for heart-healthy fish: Salmon is the second most popular seafood consumed in the U.S., behind tuna. And an estimated 91 percent of the seafood consumed in this country is imported; about half of that is from aquaculture.
Even if the AquaBounty fish is approved, however, supermarkets won’t be flooded with genetically engineered fish anytime soon, said Gregory Jaffe, the director of biotechnology at the Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy organization. Jaffe was on the FDA advisory panel that reviewed the safety of the salmon in 2010 and found no cause for alarm.
AquaBounty would have to reapply to the FDA to expand operations.
“They talked about hundreds of tons of salmon a year. We import hundreds of thousands of tons of salmon a year,” Jaffe said. “So maybe it’ll be slightly easier to eat one of these salmon steaks than to win the lottery. But if someone wanted to find one of these salmon steaks out there to eat, it’s going to take a little effort.
“That hasn’t stopped lawmakers from Western states from fighting the FDA findings — or at a minimum, seeking a requirement that genetically engineered salmon be labeled. Consumer groups are making the same push.
“Any fish that is labeled as wild-caught, or Alaskan, might see some of its market actually go up,” said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist for Consumers Union. “Since this will not be labeled, people would not know whether the regular salmon they’re buying is engineered or not.
“In his mid-February statement, AquaBounty’s Stotish noted that no new facts had been introduced since the FDA’s findings late last year and that the company doesn’t think the additional comment period “materially affects our chances for approval.”
“There has been neither new information nor a clear legal or regulatory issue raised by the FDA since that time,” he said in the statement.
AquaBounty says in its press materials that it wants its fish to be labeled “Atlantic salmon.” The company says the nutritional and biological composition of its AquAdvantage Salmon is identical to Atlantic salmon, and therefore doesn’t require additional labeling based on its method of production.
The company notes that it supports voluntary branding by the farmers who grow its salmon, to identify what it calls “the environmentally friendly benefits of this product.”
An FDA spokeswoman, Theresa Eisenman, said a decision hadn’t yet been made regarding labeling AquAdvantage Salmon.
The FDA since 1992 has considered bioengineered foods to be no different from other foods “in any meaningful or uniform way.” The agency supports voluntary labeling that provides consumers with such information, however.
OLYMPIA — A Washington state lawmaker apologized Monday for asserting in an email last week that bicyclists pollute the air with their heavy breathing.
But while Republican Rep. Ed Orcutt of Kalama, the ranking minority member of the House Transportation Committee, said that his statement was “not a point worthy of even mentioning,” he didn’t retract his claim that cyclists contribute to climate change with their “increased heart rate and respiration.”
“What I was trying to say is bicyclists do have a lower footprint but not a zero footprint in relation to automobiles,” Orcutt said. “I didn’t close that thought out very well. It was poorly worded.”
Orcutt’s initial statement came in a response to an email sent to more than 30 state lawmakers from Dale Carlson, the owner of three South Sound-area bike stores. Carlson was upset about a proposal to create a $25 fee for all new bicycle purchases of $500 or more as part of a transportation revenue package.
Orcutt, a conservative who opposes most tax increases, told Carlson by email that cyclists should help pay for the upkeep and construction of roads.
In support of his view, he wrote that “the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.”
Carlson said he appreciated Orcutt’s subsequent apology, but said the lawmaker’s views “still seems way out there.”
“Cycling has so many positive attributes to society,” Carlson said. “It should be encouraged and not discouraged.”
Dr. Lonnie Thompson, a climatologist and glaciologist at The Ohio State University, called Orcutt’s line of reasoning “crazy.”
“We have to breathe whether we’re riding a bike or not,” said Thompson, who added that burning through a 12-gallon tank of gas releases 314 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.
A 2011 study by the European Cycling Federation found that bicycle riding is not emission-free, but is more than 10 times less polluting than driving a car. That study took into account the manufacture of the raw materials of a bicycle and the increased food consumption that fuels the physical activity, but did not factor in increased rates of respiration.
EVERETT — Veterans of Foreign Wars Old Guard Post 2100 is inviting veterans and their families to see what the VFW is all about during its St. Patrick’s Day Open House on March 17 from 1-6 p.m. at 2711 Oaks Ave. in Everett.
Post 2100 Cmdr. Donald Wischmann explained that visitors can tour the post and talk to its members, as well as to representatives of not only the VFW, but also the Ladies’ and Men’s Auxiliaries, the Veterans Administration and a number of other groups.
“Our main concern is helping veterans and their families, but to do that, we need more members,” Wischmann said. “Post 2100 has more than 840 members, but about 700 of those are folks who served in World War II and Korea, and within about 10 years, we’re not going to be doing much as a post if we can’t replenish that membership.”
Wischmann touted the VFW as a means of connecting service members both past and present with a number of useful resources, whether they’re deployed or retired. He noted that his post has even “adopted” the 477th Transportation Company at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Marysville, and has sent word of the open house out to 46 commands around the area, so he expects quite a bit of turnout for the event.
“We know people will be coming armed with questions about their VA benefits,” Wischmann said. “We know that our veterans are concerned about the amount of time it takes to get their claims processed and approved, which is why we’ll have representatives of the VA here to answer those questions.”
Wischmann worries about the membership of the VFW because he wants to ensure that the group will retain a strong voice in Washington, D.C., to keep veterans’ concerns on the forefront of legislators’ priorities, but if too many older members pass away without younger members stepping in to fill their roles, he sees difficult times ahead for the organization and those whom it seeks to serve.
“I’m a Vietnam veteran,” said Wischmann, who retired from the U.S. Navy. “I’m 60 years old, and I’m one of the youngest members of this post.”
Wischmann recognizes that certain stereotypes may exist in the public’s perception of VFW posts, but he assured veterans and civilians alike that VFW Post 2100 is active in the surrounding community, seeking out ways to benefit cities and towns in addition to those who have served.
The Post 2100 St. Patrick’s Day Open House will feature not only a meal of corned beef and cabbage from 4-6 p.m., for a $10 suggested donation, but also a guest appearance by Edmonds’ Michael Regan, whose portraits for the Fallen Heroes Project showcase military men and women who have given their all.
“They’re just sketches, but they look like miniature wallet-sized photos,” Wischmann said. “He just finished drawing the kids and teachers who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.”
Children at welcome at the St. Patrick’s Day Open House, and for more information, you may contact Wischmann by phone at 425-252-2100, or via email at VFWpost2100@yahoo.com.
Fawn Sharp, the president of the Quinault Nation of Washington, will attend the signing of S.47, a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, on Thursday. Sharp was invited to join President Barack Obama for the ceremony. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she said.
The bill includes landmark provisions that recognize tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit domestic violence offenses. “The very moment that President Obama signs that bill will be one that should be memorialized in history as a turning point in Indian/non-Indian relations in this country,” Sharp said.
American Indian and Alaska Native women suffer from the highest rates of violence, according to government statistics. Most of the perpetrators are non-Indian.
“Our tribal police will be able to arrest, and our tribal courts will be [able] to legally prosecute those who have literally gotten away with murder and rape for years,” Sharp said.
“This is a time to celebrate a hard-earned victory. We are so grateful for those who have helped make this happen—the tribal leaders as well as the congressional leaders and, of course, the President. He stood up for this, strongly and consistently, and I am honored to be able to join him at the signing,” Sharp concluded.
The ceremony is due to take place at the main Interior Department building on Thursday afternoon.
The Hall of Plains Indians exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. Source: amnh.org
Katherine Abu Hadal, Indian Country Today Media Network
Natural history museums—they are all over the US and abroad too. They house amazing dinosaur fossils, exotic hissing cockroaches, and wondrous planetariums—right next to priceless human-designed art and artifacts created by Native peoples of the Americas.
Like me, you might wonder why these designed objects are juxtaposed with objects of nature such as redwood trees and precious metal exhibits. Yes, of course art is part of the natural world that we live in—but then, why are there no Picasso paintings or Degas sculptures on display in the American Museum of Natural History?
How is a Haida mask different from an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus in its precision and intent? They both belong to the category that we call art and they deserve to be exhibited in a similar manner.
When Native American, Pacific, and African art and artifact is lumped in with natural history exhibits, it sends a message that these groups are a part of the “natural” world. That the art they produce is somehow less cultured and developed than the western art canon. It also sends the message that they are historical, an element of the romantic past, when in reality these peoples are alive and well, with many traditions intact and new traditions happening all the time.
Another thing we don’t need in order to look at and understand Native American art are dioramas of Native Americans in the actual exhibit. Dioramas only serve to confuse the public and enforce already present stereotypes. It’s offensive and demeaning and it detracts from the art. There are no dioramas of Greek or Roman life in fine art museums. Dioramas can muddy the experience by placing a contemporary interpretation of a life that we do not have firsthand knowledge of. Furthermore, they are simply tacky, taking an art display into the realm of Madame Tussaud’s .
How exactly the museum acquired its collections is another important question and one not answered by my research. The museum website does note the following about its anthropology collections:
“The founding of the Museum’s anthropology program in 1873 is linked by many with the origins of research anthropology in the United States. With the enthusiastic financial support of Museum President Morris K. Jesup, Boas undertook to document and preserve the record of human cultural variation before it disappeared under the advance of Europe’s Industrial Revolution. Their expeditions resulted in the formation during the late 19th and early 20th centuries of the core of the Museum’s broad and outstanding collection of artifacts.” (American Museum of Natural History, retrieved 2.15.2013)
Let’s consider other ways Native American art could be exhibited to the benefit of the public and Native peoples themselves. First, ancient art and artifact could be displayed next to contemporary Native art in order to show that Native cultures are not just a thing of the past, but are in fact living and dynamic. Or curators could more deeply consider the way these objects were used in context—that is, elaborate on the significance of the pieces to their makers; certainly they were not designed for the purpose of one day sitting in a natural history museum. As another option, the pieces could be placed under the control of contemporary Native groups who would decide how they should be exhibited. That has been met with controversy in some cases.
I know that it will not be easy or convenient to redesign the exhibition of Native art, but the current state of display at the American Museum of Natural History is embarrassing and ineffective in communicating the complexity of non-western art. The American Museum of Natural History and its collections are a product of an era much different than the present day. It’s time that the collections reflected the wishes of their creators and also current aesthetic and ethnic discourse.
