Houston Museum of Natural Science

Ryan A. Martinez

10 November 2017

M/W 8:00 – 9:20 A.M.

 The Houston Natural Museum of Natural Science is located at One Hermann Circle

Drive and is one of the most attended places in the city. According to the museum’s website, the

mission of the Houston Natural Museum of Natural Science is to “preserve and advance the

general knowledge of natural science; to enhance in individuals the knowledge of and delight in

natural science and related subjects; and to maintain and promote a museum of the first class.”

On the third level of the building, the John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas, is a permanent

exhibit about Native Americans with a collection of various artifacts from over 50 cultures,

curated by Dirk Van Tuerenhout PhD. In my visit, I took interested in learning of how the Native

American cultures came to be, the extent of their traditions and religious rituals, and the type of

tools they used for daily life activities.

Proponents of the migration theory, supported by genetic studies, suggest Asian people

migrated through the Bering Land Bridge during a period of when the strait was frozen solid

over 15,000 years ago. A Debra L. Fried site, located in Buttermilk Creek, Texas, has been

subject to academic discussion of pinpointing the timeline of the arrival of the Native people.

Dozens of tools have been found and dated as old as 15,500 years old. This site has opened the

possibility that the migration occurred well beyond the 15,000 years limit placed on today.

Regardless of the culture, every tribe had spiritual beliefs and ceremonies often guided by

their own priests and shamans. For tribes in the plains, they communicated with the spiritual

world through tobacco and pipes while tribes in Alaska wore masks carved by the Yup’ik to

connect with the spirits during their ceremonies. Each community had unique attributes to their
celebrations such as the Tlingit in Alaska wore a Chilkat blanket, made from goat wool and

cedar bar, while Northwestern tribes utilized feast dishes, square bowls, halibut hooks, clubs,

ladles, and feast spoons during feasts. The Kuna of Panama used “Nuchus” during healing

ceremonies with the hope to absorb the illness away from the sick. For the Navajo, sand painting

was a way to restore harmony in life. The spiritual and religious life was the center of society for

all these civilizations and way to stay connected with ancestors and the elders.

The Native American tribes utilized different tools made from local resources for their

daily life activities. For example, the Pueblo people used clay utensils and stone tools, and the

Arctic people, including Yup’ik, Inupiat, and Inuit, used strong tools, such as bolas, fish hooks,

netting shuttles, and ivory needles to hunt animals from ducks to polar bears. Women, as in

many other societies, use an Ulu, a type of knife, to prepare and preserve food, make clothes, and

other related chores. As the natives encountered the Europeans, they adopted their tools and

changed from a hunting-and-gathering society to an agricultural-and-trading-one.

Every artifact in the exhibit has an extensive history that when combined brought me to

the world of Native Americans. Often, Native Americans are stereotyped in our American

society and are viewed as a single culture. However, the Hall of the Americas exhibit

demonstrated the diversity of cultures as far as north in Alaska to the tip of South America. By

observing the different tools and items used in ceremonies, I learned of the rich history and belief

systems of different civilizations, making me believe the Europeans were wrong to think Native

Americans were “uncivilized” and savages; in fact, they were more advanced than credited.
Museum of Fine Arts - Houston

Ryan A. Martinez

10 November 2017

M/W 8:00 – 9:20 A.M.

 Located on 1001 Bissonnet Street, The Museum Fine Arts, Houston is in the Museum

District of the city with over 900,000 visitors each year. The founding philosophy of the museum

is “art is for everyone,” explaining the various opportunities the museum offers residents to enter

for free. Showcasing art from every part of the world, the Museum Fine Arts, Houston has

exhibits on African and Pre-Columbian cultures with the 2,500 years of African Art, Glassell

Collection of African Gold, Art of the Ancient Americas, and the Glassell Collection of Pre-

Columbian Gold exhibits available to the public.

Many African tribes, especially in the Baule region, valued gold highly as they saw it as a

symbol for power and social standing. In African cultures, linguists carried golden staffs with

carved tops as they were royal advisors to the chief of the tribe and acted as liaisons between the

chief and others. The carved tops came in the form of animals or people. A chief’s gunbearer

carried weapons, such as shotguns and swordscovered in gold, for celebrations. Akan people had

their officials wear bandoliers with cartridge containers, pouches, and knives used to execute

criminals.

Since West Africa came into influence by various religious, including Christianity and

Islam, major religions mixed with popular beliefs. Chiefs in this region ordered gold-covered

amulets to be made in order to protect themselves from evil and threats. As the Akan people

came under contact with Europeans, the gold artists adopted European royalty symbols to

represent Akan power. Locks, keys, the shape of watches, stars, and crescent symbols were
modified to signify the control the Akan chiefs had over the natural environment. Chiefs dressed

in as much gold as possible, including crowns, sandals, bracelets, rings, and necklaces.

Two different areas covered the lands of various Pre-Columbian civilizations:

Mesoamerica and the Andean region. The Maya, who once extended from southeaster Mexico to

Honduras, carved pottery and stones with images of rulers and gods. Often, they recorded their

history by writing in hieroglyphs or painting on vases. The fig tree played a central role in

Mayan civilizations as it was the source for paper for books called codices, medicine, food, glue,

and other uses. During the ceremonies of Mesoamerican cultures, incense burners took form of

elaborate designs of buildings, exemplifying the architectural and art skills of these cultures.

The Huari and Tiwanaku, from the Peruvian region, used colored stones and shells to

produce ornaments and masks depicting their military strength. An important resource to the

Paracas, llamas served as transportation for the Paracas and a source for mantels. Because the

Andean region was rich of gold, silver, and copper, civilizations in this region used all three to

create ornaments and tools, like the Quimbaya people made containers to hold coca leaves.

Ultimately, all of the civilizations of the Andeans, including the Incas, became masters of

metalworking and had more sophisticated devices than the civilizations of Mesoamerica.

In all of the four exhibits, I enjoyed learning and seeing first-hand the advancements of

Pre-Columbian civilizations. Because of my roots, I took particular interest in the culture and

works of the Mayans and the Aztecs. Gold and other precious metals decorated various devices

and was a symbol of the wealth and power of these civilizations without European influence.
Buffalo Soldiers Museum

Ryan A. Martinez

10 November 2017

M/W 8:00 – 9:20 A.M.

 Situated in Midtown Houston, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum has the mission “to educate

the public and to preserve, promote and perpetuate the history, tradition and outstanding

contributions of America's Buffalo Soldiers from the revolutionary war to the present,”

according to its website. Commemorating African military history, the museum highlights the

several contributions by the Buffalo Soldiers in the military campaigns of the United States since

the founding of the nation.

The efforts by African Americans serving in the military began to be recognized during

the Civil War with some notable milestones. After serving for over 100 years at the pleasure of

the United States military, Africans Americans formed part of the regular army in 1866 for the

first time. Within a few years, Buffalo Soldiers began to be commended for recognitions, such as

the Medal of Honor, and allowed to study in military academies. Sergeant Emmanuel Stance

earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery during battles against the Indians in the Indian

campaigns. Henry Flipper graduated from West Point in 1877 and served in the Department of

Interior during the Harding administration. Every step led to the road of recognition.

During the Civil War, African Americans played a significant role in the course of the

war. Initially, the federal government did not allow enlistment of African Americans as soldiers

even though many slaves escaped the South and arrived at the North, but the Emancipation

Proclamation by Lincoln changed the posture of the government to allow enlistment. Almost

180,000 black soldiers served in the Union Army with 19,000 in the Navy as well during the war

while the uncertainty of their status as citizens of the country was still in doubt. Even though
African Americans would be subject to the disenfranchising by Jim Crows after the re-institution

of Southern governments, black veterans of the Civil War served as part of the military force that

governed the South during the military occupation by the North during Reconstruction. In many

cases, colored regiments were more prevalent in certain places of Texas than white regiments,

highlighting the importance of African Americans.

After the Civil War, the country underwent a period of territorial expansion towards the

West. Because Native American tribes resided in these lands, the government fought these

groups to capture their lands and grant them to white settlers. Buffalo Soldiers, organized as the

9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry, were sent to battles against the Indians. As part of

the expansion, the soldiers helped secure lands and provide security to the settlers. Although they

were led by white officers, the experience and dedication of the Buffalo Soldiers led to low

desertion rates and high efficiency in the tasks ordered. Even though the total efforts of all the

Buffalo Soldiers were not recognized for decades, 15 men earned the Medal of Honor.

Without the visit to the museum, I would not have realized how African Americans

played a pivotal role in the military campaigns of the United States from the Revolutionary War

to the Civil War to both World Wars. The commitment by the Buffalo Soldiers to stand behind

and fight for the Union shows their resilience to defend what they believe in and their hopes to

gain true equality and freedom for everyone. Every exhibit in the museum showcases the

valuable contributions of the Buffalo Soldiers to the United States and teaches the significance of

those contributions to the present life.