- [Rebecca Johnson] I'm Rebecca Johnson,
the Associate Director for Science and Chief Scientist
at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Join us on a virtual tour inside Objects of Wonder,
Collections from the National Museum of Natural History.
Here, in the center of the hall,
a series of cases containing human-made items
all relate to the larger idea of celebrating
human creativity across time and cultures.
We are part of the natural world
and objects like masks, figurines,
and even books and photographs
help us understand our place in it.
Records of daily life and spiritual events
showcase artistry, highlight shared experiences,
and reveal how people view their world
and imagine worlds beyond their own.
The most striking object in this grouping
is the 38-foot-long Tsimshian house-front,
made of 23 wooden panels
painted in striking black and red colors.
It was collected from the village of Lax Kw'alaams
in British Columbia in 1875,
and is one of the best examples of
Northwest Coast formline design in any museum.
Anthropologists who study Northwest Coast cultures
compared this house-front with others
to understand stylistic traditions,
painting techniques, and Tsimshian culture.
The museum's Arctic Studies Center works closely
with indigenous groups, universities, organizations,
and government agencies to promote the welfare
of Northern people and to educate the public
about the history, arts, and languages of the North.
In Tsimshian culture, painted house-fronts
tell the family history of the clans who live inside.
This house-front depicts the story
of how the powerful undersea spirit chief Nagunaks
gave gifts, including his crest,
the design on this house-front,
to the Killer Whale Clan.
Members of Tsimshian clans trace their heritage
through the mother's line back to a common ancestor,
and they have exclusive rights to
the heraldic crest representing their clan.
If you visit in person, you can watch
different areas of the house-front light up
as you listen to Tsimshian artist David Boxley
sing and narrate the story of how Nagunaks
gave his crest to the Killer Whale Clan.
When four fishermen dropped their anchor
onto Nagunaks' underwater house and harmed a fish,
the Sea Chief, shown in the center of this house-front,
had the men brought to him.
After a year as his guests,
Nagunaks sent them home with gifts, including his own crest,
in exchange for a promise not to hurt
any more sea creatures.
Killer whales, also called Blackfish,
are Nagukaks' servants, and the symbols
of the clan three of the fishermen belonged to.
These killer whales are recognizable
by their tail flukes, toothed mouths, and dorsal fins.
Nagunaks invited other supernatural chiefs to a potlatch,
or gift-giving feast, at his house
where he introduced them to his fishermen guests.
The figures along the top represent these underwater beings.
Notice their dorsal fins.
Years after the original fishermen returned
from their stay with Nagunaks, some younger fishermen
clubbed a bullhead fish and cut its mouth.
The figure on the killer whale's nose
may represent the bullhead, with its elongated mouth.
The human forms in the whale's blowholes
probably represent fishermen being
pulled down into Nagunaks' realm.
This painting may depict their original capture,
or the end of the story when the fishermen
were pulled into the sea as punishment.
Tsimshian houses were built along the shore,
with the painted front facing the water
so people traveling by boat could
identify the houses and the clans within.
In the center of the house-front,
between Nagunaks' legs, is a low doorway
that forced visitors to bow when entering the house,
and which also made it easier to defend
against enemies trying to break in.
Painted house-fronts aren't as common in
Tsimshian culture today as they were in the late 1800's,
but Tsimshian communities in British Columbia
and Alaska maintain their language,
artistic traditions, and strong relationship with the ocean.
The museum collaborates with indigenous peoples
around the world, not just those in the Arctic.
The Recovering Voices program invites native communities
from all over to visit the museum collections
of their heritage, and partners with community members
to help revitalize and sustain
endangered languages and knowledge.
We continue to learn from one another,
and share that knowledge.