Asian People Observation Essay

James Nunez

Anthropology Asian People Exhibit

The American Museum of Natural History is an astonishing museum that contains various

exhibits portraying the aspects of anthropology. The museum has many collections that one may

explore and enhance their knowledge of culture. The exhibits are divided into different sections

throughout each floor. One can explore the society of Asian Peoples, the Pacific Peoples, the

North American Eastern Woodlands And Plains Peoples,South American Peoples, and the Mexico

and Central American Peoples. The ethnographic collection I chose to explore and study was the

Asian Peoples exhibit.

As one enters the exhibit, it displays a brief background of the evolution
The exhibit has a display of the men

living through the static period. Through, the display, the men seemed to adapt to the cold

environment with wearing heavy fur and building a multipurpose roof. These roofs were to protect

the people from the falling snow. Also, it was said, that these roofs holding the snow would be

used as a reservoir for snow to be used for drinking. This showed that the Koryak could be

cunning and versatile adapting to harsh conditions. Also, the Koryak had some type of external

belief. They would sacrifice dogs as an offering to the spirits of the hunt. This showed that the

Koryak may have believed in an afterlife and that they had formed a type of traditional ritual.

The second civilization I came to observe was China. In comparison with the Koryak,

China was a more structured civilization. The exhibit portrayed the traditions, courtship customs,

and religious beliefs. The most intriguing part of the exhibit, was the marital tradition of China. The

display showed the bride placed in a compartment that is carried into the wedding ceremony. The

interesting part of the tradition is that the marriage is pre-determined. Also, that the bride