I was in Washington, DC last week and visited the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. I saw some
beautiful things, including this belt made from spiny oyster shells. I thought they were kind of odd looking for oyster shells but I then discovered that "Spondylus" is a type of scallop! I have a stash of pink scallop shells and I'm planning to use them to make a necklace based on this.
Also on display were some Sioux Nation playing cards. They are painted on deer rawhide but I thought similar designs would look great on real - or polymer clay - bone.
I also saw these beaded moccasins, made in the early 1900's. I wonder who made them and I really wonder who got to wear them.
I would suggest that anyone who is interested in Native American/First Nations history pay a visit to this museum if the opportunity presents itself. However, don't forget museums close to home. You can never tell what treasures you may find there!
I also visited the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, almost 50 years to the day he was murdered (at age 39). It was a very powerful experience - I had tears in my eyes. The statue is stunning.
The Korean War Memorial was nearby. Black marble walls enclosed statues of soldiers walking through "underbrush".
On this wall where ghost-like images of soldiers, nurses, surgeons, and Korean civilians.
Then, there was Abraham Lincoln.
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