Hello Everyone!
I heard it was incredibly warm back in Vermont yesterday. It was pretty warm here too, but only in the upper 30’s and low 40’s. I still had to wear a hat and an extra layer of clothing.
Yesterday was an interesting day, though not as exciting as the dog sledding day. I went to the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. This was a fabulous museum. It showed the history of Alaska from native peoples as well as the white settlers from the Russians on up. I found out about how the native people got here, how they survived in such rugged land, and how the lure of the Last Frontier riches like gold, fur, whales, and oil drew invaders and settlers from all around. There were dioramas, artifacts, and photographs to show this history. They also had a great art collection of Native artifacts, as well as explorers’ sketches. You would have loved the masks. I am enclosing several photos from the museum to give you some of examples of how neat the museum was.
This is a wooly mammoth tusk. It is more than four feet across.
There were many displays about the Eskimo or Inuit. This is an example of the clothing made out of fur.
These are dance fans. The Inuit danced with them to tell stories.
This is a pipe with scrimshaw on it. The etchings tell a story too. The pipe was made to trade with the explorers.
Much of the artwork done by the natives is based on wildlife and hunting. Why do you think this is? Discuss it with your teacher.
This is called The Fisherman. It is made out of sparkly carrera marble. It was a huge and beautiful sculpture.
I fell in love with this sea otter. The title of the painting was "Good to See You." It was modern art, and it was huge! His nose sticks out off the canvas. It sure was tempting to touch!
I hope you will have a chance to visit this museum some day. It was a great way to learn about the Inuit and other Native Alaskan people. I could have spent several more hours here, but I still had to visit some of the many Native craft stores in the city to find some books and artifacts for school.
Today will be my first teacher workshop day. One of the things we will be doing is going to a musher’s kennel. Lynda Plettner and Dan Govoni are both Iditarod mushers. I can’t wait! Maybe I will be able to meet Arge from the movie!
I miss you all, and hope you are having fun with Mr. Starr!
Anchorage, - Wednesday, February 27, 2002 at 10:13:42 (EST)
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