Ritual figures

Description

For several previous art posts, I’ve been putting up examples of art works preserved from the first century A.D. from the Central American/Caribbean region.   While we know little about the cultures these represented, they have been preserved in various collections which the Smithsonian has acquired.

There are many reasons for collecting art, and one of them is to keep the treasures from the past from being lost.   No doubt, some hopes for profit are also present, but let’s be positive, and be glad these particular artworks will be on view for the descendants and inheritors of the past.

Today, I’m putting up several more, for your enjoyment and for us to appreciate.   While the displays include some tributes to those who brought these works to their collection, the museum does not cover over the fact that these were not legitimately their own to share.   The Smithsonian has a difficult task, to collect and to share with the ages, and does it well.

Incense burner, Rain God figure

Mayan period Pot

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Ceramic figure

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MesoAmerican bowl of First Century, in Mayan design

(Picture courtesy of mhaithaca at flickr.com.)

In the Thursday tradition, following Southern Dragon’s own practice, media and news from other countries are  our emphasis.

North Korea continued hostilities which have predominated in the early days of the new president’s regime by sentencing a U.S. citizen to 15 years hard labor for ‘hostile’ acts.

The United States has urged North Korea to free the detainee on “humanitarian grounds.”

“The welfare of US citizens is a critical and top priority for this department. We call on the DPRK to release Kenneth Bae immediately on humanitarian grounds,” deputy acting State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said on Monday.

Seoul-based activist Do Hee-Yoon has told the AFP news agency that he suspected Pae was arrested because he had taken photographs of emaciated children in North Korea as part of efforts to appeal for more outside aid.

US officials have pointed out Bae had entered the country on a valid visa, and admitted to concerns that he could be used as a “political bargaining” chip.

Possibilities of new powers from computers entered a hazardous stage as 3-D printers showed abilities to produce weapons in individual homes.

As the gun debate around assault weapons continues in the United States, one company has decided to combat possible legislation by designing a gun that can be made at home.

The design uses 3D printers and is being made available online for free.

An official stamp was given to increasing evidence that austerity bites, as the U.S.  Fed declared that economic decline has shown itself directly caused by sequestration.   Congressional action to create the bad economy was directly cited.

The FOMC released its statement after two key reports suggested that recovery in the jobs market is slowing, as end of year tax hikes and budget cuts – known as sequestration – seem to take their toll.The Fed announced on Wednesday that it would keep pumping $85bn a month into the US economy, citing concerns about the impact Washington’s budget cuts are having on the US recovery.

Dan Greenhaus, chief strategist at the trader BTIG, said: “They increasingly view fiscal policy as an impediment to what they’ve been trying to accomplish and today’s statement is an outright affirmation of that view. Fiscal policy ‘is’ restraining growth, from the Fed’s point of view. And as long as fiscal policy remains constrictive, then the Fed are likely to do more rather than less.”

In a world of hurt, the May Day recognition of truly self-destructive congressional ideology took a step on the possible road to recovery by actions available to the world’s governing bodies, and passed responsibility to them to assist a return to viable actions from them.

Never.Give.Up.

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As I am traveling, and times have been confused for purposes of publication, I am putting up this post early to avoid its being unduly delayed.    Apologies for inconvenience, and my absence from comments.

Trail Food Snack Bin

Most of us occasionally want something that we think isn’t good for us, usually sweets.   As a kid, I ate candy compulsively.   Fortunately, I grew out of that craving, and have a new one now, for trail food sorts of items.   Nuts, raisins and other dried fruits, seeds and crackers sit in a bin on the kitchen counter here, and we take a handful instead of going for candy.   Okay, I confess, there are yoghurt covered cranberries in there, almost candy, too.

Researchers combined data from 31 trials conducted across the globe and found that on average, there was very little difference in changes in weight or waist measurements between people who were put on a normal or nut-supplemented diet.

“Most of the nut-enriched studies don’t show that patients gain a significant amount of weight, in contrast to what one might think,” said Dr. David Bleich, head of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.

The craving for sweets isn’t all bad.   I’ve known it to be an indicator that a body is hungry for something, and in my late mother’s case meant a lack of vitamin B12, pernicious anemia.   

Sweeteners may also affect the balance of chemicals in our brain and impair our memory and may be a contributor to chronic joint pain and arthritis. So, if you have ever gotten the sense that your sweet tooth is getting out of hand, I provide the following strategies for you to try.

Respect the craving. Your body is trying to tell you something. Our body is a beautiful interconnected system that is constantly working to maintain our balance and health. When our body feels it needs something, there are many ways it will work to signal our mind of its needs. By really tuning in and listening we can decode these messages and provide our body and mind what they most need to function their best. A craving for sweets may signal general hunger or low blood sugar.

We can always act wisely and substitute something for the urge to eat something sweet.   Taking a walk, or gardening, or eating something healthy are ideal.   Of course, blogging about it works, too.

Try the health food snacks, you’ll be glad you did.

Ceremonial figures

The use of statuary in the area now known as Costa Rica is speculative.   As the above figures demonstrate, there were established poses and these seem to indicate there are rituals involved that we now know only by the figures remaining behind.

Signs included for description in the Smithsonian Native American museum give information about the knowledge we’ve gained about the figures.   What actual celebration or commemoration was involved is not known.

From the trophy heads held, there can be speculation about what was occurring that seems to have involved human sacrifice, but no solid knowledge of factual incidents.  That some sort of battle was involved can be inferred from the spears and shields often included.

 Great variety of belief and practice existed among the ancient Meso-American peoples including various forms and levels of the afterlife, each with its own deity. The religious rituals and practices were governed by priests educated in genealogy and astronomy. These priests were often exquisitely adorned with jewels, feathers, and ornaments of many colors, and many had dual roles as diviners. These traditions had a variety of temples and pyramids used in worship and as tombs. Several of these ancient traditions included rituals of sacrifice to the gods, even human sacrifice. The use of idols (particularly in the form of animals) was common among the various forms of this religion.

As mentioned in earlier posts about the area ceramics, there were probably workshops producing art and household objects for communities.   We can only guess what ceremonies and rituals existed.

The above is labeled as a basalt male figure from the Costa Rica area, A.D. 1000 – 1500.

Over Easy

(Picture courtesy of mhaithaca at flickr.com.)

In the tradition of the original Lakeside Diner, where Southern Dragon kept pups up to date on media and events outside the States, Thursday will be a glimpse into what’s going on in the world this week.

Bangladesh was horrified by the collapse of a large manufacturing building that housed scores of industries supplying clothing items to other countries.   The building had frightened workers by developing fissures, but workers had been sent back inside.

More than 1,000 people were injured when the site housing five garment factories on the outskirts of Dhaka imploded on Wednesday, allegedly after managers ignored workers’ warnings that the building had become unstable.

Flags flew at half-mast on Thursday as the shell-shocked country declared a day of mourning for the victims of the nation’s worst factory disaster, which highlighted anew safety concerns in Bangladesh’s vital garment industry.

(snip)

The disaster came less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people and underscored the unsafe conditions in Bangladesh’s booming garment industry, the second biggest in the world.

Teachers in Mexico’s Guerrero State stormed local political offices and started fires to protest reforms legislated against claimed corruption in the educational system.

For several hours, masked protesters started fires and attacked the offices with pickaxes and sticks, spraying slogans on the walls.

The state governor has called for support from the federal government.

The reforms impose centralised teacher assessment and seek to end corrupt practices in the education system.

Those practices include the buying and selling of teaching positions.

Innovations to aid in the many afflicted areas of Pakistan are being concentrated in local assistance programs that answer needs outside influences have failed to meet.

To counter perceptions of western influence (the CIA’s connection with a vaccination scheme may have led to attacks on polio workers), the Rural Support Programmes Network and its member organisations draw funds from Pakistan’s federal and regional governments, international aid agencies, corporate sponsors and the beneficiaries.

The US government has acknowledged the difficulties in channelling aid effectively to the neediest in Pakistan and remains supportive, despite repeated attempts in Congress to slash billions from aid. But to continue the progress that is being made, everyone must chip in.

One sign that the needs of Pakistan are not being ignored is a recent decision by the European Union to allocate €42 million (Dh207m) in aid from a fund for five major global hot spots subjected to “long-enduring crises”. The EU acknowledged that “the only new crisis on this year’s list is the one caused by conflict and internal displacement in Pakistan”.

Turning from the courting of outside influences has resolved problems in areas that gain independence along with meeting local needs.

Never.Give.Up.

Home butterfly garden

(Picture courtesy of woodleywonderworks at flickr.com.)

The world isn’t altogether friendly to many butterfly species, so if you’re putting in some crops for yourself, this would be a good time to consider putting in something to keep these beautiful creatures afloat.

Recently, visiting the Smithsonian I took a few moments to wander through the butterfly garden there.   While it was too early for much of a population, during warm seasons, the plants attract many butterflies and the signs there give visitors ideas for their own.

One sign struck me as good to know, advising that we shouldn’t be cleaning all the old materials out in the fall, because eggs may be in them waiting for spring to hatch out.   Here, spudtruckowner tells me it’s been a family practice that he still follows to take out the old dead stems and put them in the back of the barn.   Burning them just isn’t done, as there will be hatchlings waiting for warm months.

Of course, using insecticides is obviously the reverse of what we need for these delicate insects.   Planting varieties that are well adapted to your area would make it easier to avoid their use.   There are a lot of hardy plants too, and I was delighted to notice that my new sprouts of Kohlrabi will be a butterfly attractant as well as providing good veggies for the table.  Plants and butterflies vary by area.  For the monarch, milkweed is a must, for black swallowtail, carrots and fennel; and be prepared to see big holes munched in the leaves they like best.

Creating a butterfly garden should start with some serious research to learn which kinds of butterflies are native to your area. You can learn that from our article “Butterfly Gardening by Area”. Make a list of all of the different kinds of butterflies you would like to attract, and then learn which flowers and plants they both feed on and lay eggs on. All of the plants will certainly be native to your area and therefore easy to grow with the right conditions and care. Adult butterflies will visit for a longer period if they find plants to lay their eggs on. These are called ‘Host Plants’ and you can read about them in our article on “Butterfly Host Plants.”

Plants that are local to your area may be ordered in advance, but as now is planting season, you can check with nearby greenhouses and growers for the ones you want.

There are a few varieties called ‘butterfly bush’ and all have a wonderful aroma, but are not adapted to your everyday garden as they are not particularly dainty.    Any bright color will attract most species, and they are among the few species of insect that ‘see’ red.

Here’s hoping you can set aside a little space to help this wonderful species to survive and brighten our lives.

Smithsonian butterfly garden sign/butterfly and hummingbird attractant

Taken in Dallas State Fair Butterfly House

The books of descriptions are in poor lighting, as are the displays themselves, to keep from bleaching out the designs on the ancient ceramics.

Last week, I featured several ceramic pieces from the Smithsonian’s Indian Museum and some information about them, and ceramics.   This week I’m putting in a few from the collection and the wall that displays them, to give an idea of the way you see them on the top floor of the museum.

As you will notice, the matching of figures with their descriptions takes some painstaking work and if you visit the museum, be prepared to spend time and effort to work out what you’re seeing.    The vast collection has passed into Smithsonian handling after years of collection and study, and has been open to the public since 2004 on the Mall in D.C.

The National Museum of the American Indian is home to the collection of the former Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation. The collection includes more than 800,000 objects, as well as a photographic archive of 125,000 images. It is divided in to the following areas: Amazon; Andes; Arctic/Subarctic; California/Great Basin; Contemporary Art; Mesoamerican/Caribbean; Northwest Coast; Patagonia; Plains/Plateau; Woodlands.

The collection, which became part of the Smithsonian in June 1990, was assembled by George Gustav Heye(1874–1957) during a 54-year period, beginning in 1903. He traveled throughout North and South America collecting Native objects. Heye used his collection to found New York’s Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation and directed it until his death in 1957. The Heye Foundation’s Museum of the American Indian opened to the public in New York City in 1922.

The collection is not subject to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. When the National Museum was created in 1989, a law governing repatriation was drafted specifically for the museum, the National Museum of the American Indian Act, upon which NAGPRA was modeled.^[5]In addition to repatriation, the museum dialogues with tribal communities regarding the appropriate curation of cultural heritage items. For example, the human remains vault is smudged once a week with tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar, and sacred Crow objects in the Plains vault are smudged with sage during the full moon. If the appropriate cultural tradition for curating an object is unknown, the Native staff uses their own cultural knowledge and customs to treat materials as respectfully as possible.^[6]

The long history of our native population contains many chapters of desecration and abuse, which the Smithsonian facility has tried to avoid.   Respect for native worship and practices developed slowly in this country’s progress, and is welcome in this exhibition.