Collections Blog

2016.4.17a-b Food Pestle Kickapoo Tribe Texas Materials: Wood   Mortar and pestles have a long history and varied uses by cultures around the world. The tool has been used to grind or crush all types of materials for centuries. They [...]

This blog post is provided by the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Archeology Section, which discovers archeological evidence of human culture throughout the state when building roads. The blog details new and exciting Caddo findings in northeast Texas where TxDOT [...]

I-0603a Rock Painting reproduction Native American Langtry, TX. Materials: Stone, Red Paint This is a reproduction of a piece of cave art found at Bonfire Shelter in Eagle Cave near Langtry, Texas. Eagle cave is located in Mile Canyon, commonly [...]

2016.4.21 Thatching Needle Kickapoo United States 1800-1967 Materials: Metal Needles like this one are  used by women of the Kickapoo tribe to make woven mats using cattails and other plants. These mats are used to make Kickapoo wickiups, the traditional [...]

2016.4.12 Pack saddle Kickapoo Mid to late 19th century Materials: Wood “Girl with Burro” by Ritzenthaler & Peterson, 1956. Photo via Milwaukee Public Museum. This is a Kickapoo saddle, used for horse riding. This saddle is only the wood base [...]

I-0009 a-c Malakoff Head (reproductions) American 1929-1939 Materials: Plaster These objects are three cast plaster replicas of stone carvings found in Malakoff, Texas in the Depression Era. Each object was found in a deep gravel pit by quarry workers and [...]

I-0465a Drum Tigua Ysleta del Sur, TX 20th century Material: Leather, paint and wood This object is a Tigua drum. The Tigua community is based out of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, and is located in El Paso, Texas. The Ysleta del Sur [...]

I-0422a Medicine or Pipe bag Plains Indian (likely Cheyenne) North American Great Plains Mid-1800’s – 20th century Materials: Leather, beads, thread Range of Plains Indians at the time of first European contact. Image via Wikimedia Commons. Museums often receive objects [...]

I-0113m Club Ute United States 20th Century Materials: wood, beads, threads Pre-contact Ute tribes. Map via: University of Utah, http://www.utefans.net Native Americans have a rich history in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, [...]

I-0432c Necklace Alabama-Coushatta Texas 20th Century Materials: Glass, plastic, and leather The tribal seal of the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas. Image from the Tribe’s Facebook page. This item is a necklace made by a member of the Alabama-Coushatta tribe of [...]