6 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1961 



9. INDIAN AND ESKIMO ARTS AND CUSTOMS 



The American Indian Hall dealing with the Eskimo and with the 

 Indians of the Eastern woodlands, the Great Plains, and the North 

 Pacific coast differs markedly from the one just described. In this 

 hall or series of halls are displayed notable items from the Smith- 

 sonian's vast study collections which preserve for scientists hundreds 

 of thousands of objects or artifacts of the tribes here considered. 

 Many of the objects shown here in the beautifully lighted and care- 

 fully labeled cases are unduplicated elsewhere in the world. Today 

 in the art world much is said of the importance of primitive sculpture 

 and painting, but the work of the American Indians has not always 

 been emphasized. In this hall one sees masks and figures that well 

 illustrate the deep artistic feelings of their creators. The Smith- 

 sonian, as the central museum of the United States, has long been the 

 repository for collections of Indian objects belonging to the Govern- 

 ment and dating back even into the colonial period. The Institution 

 also preserves hundreds of thousands of objects collected by the great 

 Western explorers of our young country. Army officers on isolated 

 posts in the old West also were valued collectors for the Smithsonian. 

 Objects from these and other sources have through the years been 

 carefully cataloged, protected, and preserved at the Smithsonian. In 

 this Hall of Indian and Eskimo Arts and Customs many of these 

 priceless treasures are on public display for the first time. In one 

 case are originals by George Catlin selected from the 450 paintings of 

 this master in the collection of the Smithsonian. One of these paint- 

 ings, for example, shows, almost as a modern color photograph 

 would, Indians quarrying red pipestone to use in making ceremonial 

 tobacco pipes. Thus in the same case the visitor can see examples of 

 completed pipes as well as Catlin's on-the-spot painting showing 

 exactly how Indians, who were then hardly influenced at all by Euro- 

 peans, carried on this skillful work. It is interesting to note that 

 the soapstone quarried here is scientifically called "catlinite" in honor 

 of the artist who painted the very pictures here on display. In this 

 hall is shown an unusual example of a Great Plains tepee. This large, 

 portable living establislmient of skins, like many other specimens at 

 the Smithsonian, was first displayed at the Centennial Exhibition in 

 Philadelphia in 1876, at the close of which 66 freight car loads of 

 important specimens were brought to the Smithsonian for permanent 

 preservation. When this hall was being set up this tepee was still 

 wrapped in old Philadelphia newspapers of the 1870's. This fact 

 dramatically illustrates how important the present renovation of 

 Smithsonian exhibits is for the American people and for visitors to 

 our shores. As a result of these new displays, many of the great 

 treasures of the Nation for the first time can be studied and under- 



