Ethnology Collection

NEW! Explore the Museum’s collections online! 

The small but focused ethnology collection consists of more than 2,300 contemporary and historic objects representing material cultures around the world.

Especially represented by the collection are utilitarian objects that illustrate the lifeways of central African tribal peoples, ceremonial masks from Mexico, ceremonial and decorative objects from the South Pacific islands, and decorative objects made by the Plains Native Americans. Further examples include Southwestern ceramics, Native American basketry, and woodcarvings by the Seri people of Mexico.

Research Publications

Providing researchers access to the collections has long been an important responsibility for Museum staff. For transparency of collection usage and to give back knowledge accumulated over years, especially in relation to indigneous cultural materials, we have compiled a list of publications produced as a result of research conducted at the Museum. View it here. For organization purposes, the list is divided between two tabs located at the bottom – Cultural and Natural.

While we strive to collect publications from all researchers who have utilized the collections, this list is not complete and will continue to grow over time. If you know of additional publications that should be added or have questions about the list, please contact us.