Message from wrodriguez

[Anonymous]

I decided to visits the Bower’s Museum located in the city of Santa Ana, in Orange County. Exhibits on hand that might be of interest to middle school teachers: displays of art from pre-Columbian Mexico, Central and South America; artifacts from various tribal groups from the pacific rim to China and Southeast Asia (which I will elaborate on in the next paragraph); and a mummies exhibit, which focuses on the process of this ritual and has artifacts on display ranging from amulets to papyri. The first two exhibits are permanent, while the mummy artifacts will be at the museum until April 2007.

Of particular interest for those looking for Asian artifacts is the exhibit that shows artifacts devoted to the Miao people, a minority group found in southwest China. According to the background information provided by the museum there are eight million people that identify themselves as Miao, and overall there are over fifty distinct minority groups found in China. Therefore, when looking at the Chinese people it is important to recognize that it is not just one monolithic group.

The Miao people are known for their colorful textiles and elaborate sliver ornaments. Motifs found in their cultural expressions are spiral patterns, dragons, flowers, and birds. One example on display are sliver crowns, which resemble flat discs. It is stated in the museum plaques that crowns are typical headdresses for the Miao people. Also on display are sliver necklaces, embroidered jackets, and dyed/pleated skirts. The plaques for these various items state that single young women wear them because of the belief that the more silver a woman wears the wealthier and more beautiful they will become in the future.

There are at least eight distinct Miao artifacts on display. In addition to these artifacts, there are items on display from minority groups found in Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.