'Ancient Things' newcomers to Tucson

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat Datura Fruit Effigy, date uncertain.

I thought I'd give it a chance and see just what kinds of interesting things were being exhibited in the museum.

Walking into the museum, I anticipated an uninteresting show with jewelry and pottery that people used in the past. However, the new exhibit called "Ancient Things: Plants and Animals of the Pre-historic Southwest" featured more than just a display of ancient artifacts. It focused on four different American Indian cultures whose traditions existed during the Sedentary Period (A.D. 1 - 1450): the Hohokam, Mongollo-Mimbres, Salado and Casas Grandes. The selection of show pieces concentrated on how different plants (such as squash and jimsonweed) and animals (such as fish, frogs, lizards,bears) played a significant role in each culture. This was demonstrated through the sculptures on the pottery, the variety of frog pendants, lizard and snake figures, and bowls with fish illustrations. For example, a culture which farmed and lived off its agriculture created pendants of horny toads to symbolize heavy rainfall. Another culture which lived near the water painted different species of fish on their ceramic plates to demonstrate the different fishes they encountered.

I had an easy time following the exhibition notes that went along with each artifact. Obviously, a lot of time and energy went into perfecting and installing an exhibit like this. The museum began selecting its pieces for this show last August, but ideas for the exhibit were being discussed since last spring. Each artifact was researched carefully before becoming a part of the collection. In fact, there were times when the museum had to collaborate with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum to make sure certain curatorial assumptions were accurate. Bruce Hilpert, the curator of public programs for the museum, was in charge of researching and editing the labels that went along with most of the artifacts. Hilpert said, "This is the kind of stuff you expect to see [in a museum], but you don't realize how rare it is." People tend to overlook the fact that most artifacts are found in segments. In many cases, pieces need to be carefully reconstructed into an object's original form.

I recall one type of pottery that had caught my attention, a vessel or a vase, unlike anything I had seen before. These vessels were similar to small jars or cups and had distinctive spikes on the surface. These artifacts carried the characteristics of the seed of a plant called "jimsonweed". The jimson-weed, known to be extremely deadly (like the prehistoric version of PCP or "angel dust"), produced intense sensations and hallucinations. The seed would be preserved in the vessels and would only be used for specific medical and spiritual rituals. It was fascinating to catch glimpses of how these cultures, which existed roughly around the same time, portrayed a wide range of animals and plants that played significant roles in their society.

We all recognize animals and plants and give some significance to each even in our culture today. For instance, University of Arizona students symbolize the wildcat as the school mascot. We also display them on shirts, mugs, etc. Like the jimsonweed, the marijuana plant, in our culture, is used for medical purposes, and also abused, resulting in damaging consequences. Like other earlier cultures, we also have plants and animals that play a major role in our culture. The exhibit focuses on ancient cultures discovered so close to home (southwestern regions of the state).

The exhibit is simple, impressive, and quite effective.

The Arizona State Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 621-6281.