MUSEUM 1 Chelsea Mattingly UMUC February 18, 2018 The main purpose of museum is to neither educate nor entertain but rather to create a memory bank that would remind us of the past. Most societies in different parts of the world traced their origin through the works of arts history. All across the world there are hundreds of museums filled with history, information, shows, and famous documents. A variety of museums display interesting objects. A mix of cultures, historical events, famous people, and art work in the whole museum. Rather than having different attractions, some museums are dedicated to showing of shows based on a particular topic of history or interest for example the National Museum. Upon going for an exhibition at one of the national museums, the experience I gained was very valuable and important on the understanding of the artworks used by the early humans . The visual experience gained during the exhibition was more appealing compared to reading of the curatorial essay about the exhibition at the museum which was entitled the The American Early Plates. The visual experience gives a visitor the chance to physically interact with artifacts especially when one can touch the artifacts. The curator essay about the exhibition in the museum had a lot of significance in understanding the artifacts used in the exhibition. The curatorial essay gave me the knowledge of understanding the origin, uses and dates of the various artifacts I visually witnessed at the museum. In general the visiting of the museum exhibit gave me a valuable experience as demonstrated. The exhibition made me understand that a museum is an institution housing collections of objects of artistic, historic, or scientific interest and displayed for the educational and enjoyment of the public. I also noticed that Museums are places of memory that provides the link of distant past to the present generation which also help the society to know the path their forebears trod. The visit of the exhibition gave me the understanding of the artifacts in the display for example the display of an artifact referred to as the American earliest plate The exhibition gave visitors the experience of comparing the modern American plates and those used in the early days. The exhibition gave the visitors a great chance to know the improvements the materials presented at the exhibition have undergone over time and the factors that have triggered such improvements. The visitors were also able learn history behind the making such of plates, the skills for making such plates and their relevance in those days. In conclusion special exhibition helps one understand that museums are trustworthy, the importance of various artifacts to aid in the reconstruction of history. One is also able to compare the artifacts in museum with related objects which are currently in use. The importance of museum to hold a special exhibition for various artifacts is also understood. Works cited D ...

1. MUSEUM 1
Chelsea Mattingly
UMUC
February 18, 2018
The main purpose of museum is to neither educate nor entertain
but rather to create a memory bank that would remind us of the
past. Most societies in different parts of the world traced their
origin through the works of arts history. All across the world
there are hundreds of museums filled with history, information,
shows, and famous documents. A variety of museums display
interesting objects. A mix of cultures, historical events, famous
people, and art work in the whole museum. Rather than having
different attractions, some museums are dedicated to showing of
shows based on a particular topic of history or interest for
example the National Museum.
Upon going for an exhibition at one of the national museums,
the experience I gained was very valuable and important on the
understanding of the artworks used by the early humans . The
visual experience gained during the exhibition was more
appealing compared to reading of the curatorial essay about the
exhibition at the museum which was entitled the The American
Early Plates. The visual experience gives a visitor the chance to
physically interact with artifacts especially when one can touch
the artifacts. The curator essay about the exhibition in the
museum had a lot of significance in understanding the artifacts
used in the exhibition. The curatorial essay gave me the
knowledge of understanding the origin, uses and dates of the
various artifacts I visually witnessed at the museum. In general
the visiting of the museum exhibit gave me a valuable
experience as demonstrated.
The exhibition made me understand that a museum is an
institution housing collections of objects of artistic, historic, or

2. scientific interest and displayed for the educational and
enjoyment of the public. I also noticed that Museums are places
of memory that provides the link of distant past to the present
generation which also help the society to know the path their
forebears trod. The visit of the exhibition gave me the
understanding of the artifacts in the display for example the
display of an artifact referred to as the American earliest plate
The exhibition gave visitors the experience of comparing the
modern American plates and those used in the early days. The
exhibition gave the visitors a great chance to know the
improvements the materials presented at the exhibition have
undergone over time and the factors that have triggered such
improvements. The visitors were also able learn history behind
the making such of plates, the skills for making such plates and
their relevance in those days.
In conclusion special exhibition helps one understand that
museums are trustworthy, the importance of various artifacts to
aid in the reconstruction of history. One is also able to compare
the artifacts in museum with related objects which are currently
in use. The importance of museum to hold a special exhibition
for various artifacts is also understood.
Works cited
Dillenbourg, Pierre. Interactive artifacts and furniture
supporting collaborative work and learning. Springer, 2009.
“The Importance of Artifacts.” The Odyssey Online, 16 Jan.
2018, www.theodysseyonline.com/importance-artifacts

3. Running head: THE EARLY AMERICAN PLATES
1
AMERICAN EARLY PLATES 2
The Early American Plates
Chelsea Mattingly
UMUC
March 4, 2018
Introduction
Most of the early American plates are made of beaten copper
plates crafted by aboriginal people that resided in the areas of
Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Oklahoma, Tennessee
and Wisconsin. All of the plates are believed to have been made
between 800 and 1600 CE. These plates depict the cultures of
the Indian communities living in those areas. They depict
raptorial birds as well as avian themed dancing warriors.
According to Griffin, (1961), elites of the community that held
important political and religious positions at that time crafted
ornaments and sacred materials out of copper into some
representation that had its roots.
Examples

4. Arkansas Plate
Toul Creek Plate
Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Toul_Creek_plate_HRoe_201
2.jpg.
This plate has been found in a number of sites eastern of
Arkansas. This resembles the culture of the Native Americans
living in the region with the depiction of half hawk and half
snake. This type of artifact is thought to have been designed by
well-seasoned designers of the olden days. The tail feathers of
the haw looks a rattle snake. It is blatant that this is an eagle
with a forked eye motif (Deetz, 2010). They were found by a
farmer who was ploughing his field. They were found stacked
together with no other artifacts on them. What is amazing about
is that there were not mound sites nearby. Many archeologist
have tried to unwrap this puzzle, some came into conclusion
that it represents a hawk swallowing a snake.
Rogan Plates
Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rogan_plate_1_birdman_HRo
e_2012.jpg
They were discovered in stone box graves in the regions of
Etowah. They are believed to be worn by dead people in their
burial. They are made in classic Braden style and always came
in pairs due to the fact that the people of the time loved to wear
such ornaments in pairs. There are some handy holes on the
plates indicting that they were used for hanging them around the
neck region. Even though there were some other plates that
were similar to this one, archeologists came to a conclusion that
local artisans crafted plates on a colossal level and some might
have been a little different in design due to the difference in
their designers. Most of these artifacts have been recovered
from buried bodies.
Florida Plates

5. Copper Solar Ogee Deity Plate Found At Lake Jackson Mounds,
Florida
Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Jackson_Braden_Style_
Birdman_Plate_HRoe_2016.jpg
Archeologists believe that these plates were deposited in the
area due to the lucrative shell trade that predominant due to its
use in rituals. This is what made the people live around Lake
Jackson so that they could strategically position themselves for
this trade. The Copper Solar Deity in the plate represents and
winged figure dancing. This artifact measures 21 inches (53 cm)
high is holding a ceremonial mace in the right hand and a
chopped head on the other hand. Many think the extended nose
of this figure is one indication that it was an Indian god due to
the fact that it resembles the long-nosed god maskette (Griffin,
1967). The elaborate hairdressers depicted in the plate features
an elaborate heiress coupled up with bi-lobed arrow motive at
the top. A mother motif encompassing an ongee surrounded a
chambered circle. Some historians and archeologists believe
that this is actually the “birdwoman” due to the breasts that are
protruding in the figure. On the other hand, other archeologists
have argued that the figure represents a two-spirit tradition.
Wulfing Cache
Human Headed Avian Malden Plate A
Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wulfing_plate_A_human_hea
ded_avian_HRoe_2012.jpg
They are believed to be made in late Barden and are thought to
be created in the late 13th or 14th century. The found plates
were buried in a field, where there was no local mound or even
traces of ancient villages. It is blatant from their looks that they
have undergone some significant revamps that involved
repairing of cracks and riveting. This human-headed avian plate
measures 30 centimeters (12 in) in length by 13.5 centimeters

6. (5.3 in) (Griffin, 1967). The Wulfing plates pack raptors and
one-bird human hybrids. Sometimes, one might perceive some
double headed raptors in bird’s bodies and claws on them.
Similar plates have been discovered in the central United States
and some states such as Illinois. Much of them show the same
stylistic links to Etowah plates.
Conclusion
The American plates are artifacts used by the Native Americans
in the olden times and have now been excavated recently as
artifacts in various archeological sites in the American Midwest
and southeast Griffin, (1961). Some of the notable fields where
these artifacts have been excavated purposely and sometimes
accidentally are predominantly found in Florida, Mississippi,
Wisconsin and Illinois. However, there are other sites where
these artifacts have been found in the United States but most of
them have been excavated in the southeastern ceremonial
complex. These artifacts represent the culture and ceremonies of
the aboriginal people with many of them featuring gods,
raptorial birds and avian themed warriors (Patterson, 1971).
References
Deetz, J. (2010). In small things forgotten: an archaeology of
early American life. Anchor.
Griffin, J. B. (1967). Eastern North American archaeology: a
summary. Science, 156(3772), 175-191.
Griffin, J. B. (Ed.). (1961). Lake Superior copper and the
Indians: Miscellaneous studies of Great Lakes prehistory (Vol.
17). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
Patterson, C. C. (1971). Native copper, silver, and gold
accessible to early metallurgists. American Antiquity, 36(3),
286-321.