National Museum of Natural History Unearthed

Volunteer Reflections on RACE: Are We So Different? (Part 2 of 2)

2012-02-06T20:00:00-05:00

One of the most popular visitor destinations at Natural History in 2011 was RACE: Are We So Different? This temporary, traveling exhibition is a project of the American Anthropological Association, developed by the Science Museum of Minnesota. We spoke with some of our volunteers about their experience working with visitors...

Volunteer Reflections on RACE: Are We So Different? (Part 1 of 2)

2012-02-03T14:33:24-05:00

In 2011, RACE: Are We So Different? was one of the most popular visitor destinations at Natural History. This temporary traveling exhibition is a project of the American Anthropological Association, and was developed by the Science Museum of Minnesota. Several months before it opened, NMNH launched a campaign to recruit...

The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji

2012-01-13T11:24:08-05:00

I first saw the Baloji exhibition, which was organized by the Museum for African Art, when it opened in New York over a year ago. I was immediately struck by the beauty and the visual power of the work and by the stories Baloji’s works tell of history and memory, home and landscape, and work and wealth in the Congo. These are all important themes in Africa today and they are themes of so many of the stories from around the continent that are told in African Voices. I was delighted that we were able to bring the exhibit here to NMNH.

You Asked...They Answered! Q&A with the Human Origins Program

2011-12-01T14:21:34-05:00

Question: How do they celebrate an important discovery? Response: It’s exciting to make new discoveries in the field! Yet each new discovery brings with it a new batch of hard work. For some discoveries, we recognize there may be years of work ahead of us, in fact, and that might...

The Hip-Hop/Kung Fu Connection

2011-11-08T16:01:22-05:00

Back in August (approximately a century ago in blog-years) the Freer and Sackler Galleries, in cooperation with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program presented a weekend of events exploring the connection between hip hop music and martial arts movies. Hip hop culture’s formative years in New York in the 1970s...

Let's Talk about Race at the Smithsonian - Family Day at the Anacostia Community Museum

2011-10-25T15:22:00-04:00

On October 22, 2011, the Anacostia Community Museum (ACM) presented “Who AM I” and “I’ve Got To Be Me” as part of the Let’s Talk about Race at the Smithsonian family day programs. ACM’s offerings—centering around race, family, and self—joined similar ones provided by other Smithsonian organizations at the National...

Dispatches from Olorgesailie

2011-10-20T16:22:00-04:00

(Note: This post originally appeared on the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program website as an introduction to their 2011 field season. Thank you to Dr. Rick Potts for allowing it to be reposted here!) The study of human evolution is full of exploration, digging, and discovery. This blog tells of our...

Visitors React to the RACE: Are We So Different? Exhibit

2011-10-13T14:34:37-04:00

Thousands of visitors have experienced the RACE: Are We So Different? exhibition since it opened at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. They walk through, linger here and there, talk with our volunteers and with each other. Several hundred visitors have also shared their reactions, thoughts, and comments with...

Will current blood quantum membership requirements make American Indians extinct?

2011-10-05T17:00:00-04:00

Blood quantum is a term used to define bloodlines relating to ancestry. For example, a person with one Indian grandparent and three non-Indian grandparents has one-quarter Indian blood. For American Indians, intermarriage between tribes, however, reduces specific tribal blood quantum.

Visitors React to the August 23rd Earthquake

2011-09-01T11:38:22-04:00

After the earthquake last Tuesday, staff in the Office of Education and Outreach reached out to visitors in various ways to encourage learning and dialogue. Since I am from Peru originally and have experienced a 8.0 magnitude earthquake, I wanted also to engage with our visitors and to learn about...