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Heard Museum of Aboriginal Cultures and Art
Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding
Culture, Traditions, Folklore,  Archeology, Civilization history,  Museums, Galleries, Exhibitions
Culture, Traditions, Folklore, 
Archeology, Civilization history, 
Museums, Galleries, Exhibitions
...

Phoenix is not just the capital of Arizona and the largest city of this state. It is the largest city in America. The city in the “Sunny Valley”, known for its elite spa resorts and nightclubs, was an ordinary settlement of the Indian tribes. City museums dedicated to its cultural and historical heritage tell about that. But the largest collection is presented in the Heard Museum of Aboriginal Cultures and Art.

The Snow White building was erected in 1929 by a married couple of Dwight B. and Maie Bartlett Heard. They were collectors of Native Americans’ artifacts. Dwight B. Heard even bought the ruins of the Hohokam Society in 1926. The findings in these ruins became the first exhibits of his collection. They immediately won the heart of his wife. Since then, Maie Bartlett Heard started a precious collection. After the death of her beloved spouse, she opened a museum in this building. For 20 years, she was its curator. The building was modernizing several times. Now, its area is about 12 thousand square meters. It is eight times its original size. 

Most of the collection belonged to the indigenous people of the southwestern region. They were the Pueblo and Navajo Indian tribes. In total, there are more than 40 thousand exhibits. 34 thousand volumes of rare editions are not taken into account. They are keeping in the archives of the museum library. 

In one of the halls, there is a permanent exhibition. It tells about the education of Native American children in the 19th century, they’re moving from native reservations to residential schools, violent “Americanization”, and destruction of Indian culture. Here you can see school uniforms and personal items of these children, as well as listen to interview recordings.

Other museum halls exhibit personal collections of famous people related to the culture of Native Americans. For example, here is a collection of an American politician, former US Senator Barry Morris Goldwater. It consists of 437 Kachina dolls of Pueblo Indians. They were important items in their ceremonies. 

Address: 2301 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004

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Uliana Vedenina

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