Browse

Culture

A large, earthen mound covered in grass set against a blue sky. The mound has stairs with people using them.
Source

Poverty Point in Louisiana, United States

Poverty Point is a prehistoric earthenwork site featuring mounds, ridges, and a ceremonial plaza located in northeastern Louisiana, United States.

A stone monument with two stones acting as posts and a third stone sitting vertically atop the others. The monument sits on grass and there are trees seen in the background.
Source

Ha’amonga ‘a Maui in Tonga

Ha’amonga ‘a Maui is a stone trilithon located on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga. A stone trilithon is a stone monument with two large vertical stones acting as a post for the third stone set horizontally across the top.

A light-colored limestone altar. The altar is round and has glyph blocks in the center that are word and faded. Two cracks are on the altar but have had repairs lessening the lines.
Source

Altar from the Classic Maya Period

This limestone altar was created by the Maya culture sometime between 300 and 900 CE and found in Belize in Central America. The altar is round and was carved with twenty glyph blocks on top, which are now faded and display cracks but also attempts at repairs.

A large, earthen mound covered in grass set against a blue sky. The mound has stairs with people using them.
Source

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is an archaeological site of a pre-Columbian Native American city located in southwestern Illinois, near St. Louis, Missouri.

A tan colored tunic stretched to show the height and width. The tunic has a simple slit for the neck, a red and brown geometric design along the chest, and red embroidery along the hem.
Source

Inca Miniature Tunic

This cotton and camelid hair tunic dates from the 14th-16th century CE in Peru, and was simply constructed from a rectangle of fabric, with a slit for the neck and open sides for the arms.

Islands under the sphere of Tongan influence in Oceania. The islands are green and the background is blue to represent the water. The screenshot is cropped to focus on the islands in the northwest of the empire.
Source

Tu'i Tonga Empire Map

The Tu’i Tonga Empire was an Oceanic maritime chiefdom centered on the island of Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga, and flourished between 1200-1500 CE.

A large canoe with wooden rows and red detailing. The canoe sits amidst a museum with items from the collection surrounding it.
Source

Te Paranihi, or Maori War Canoe

Te Paranihi is a 17-meter (55 feet) war canoe, or waka taua, from the Maori culture indigenous to New Zealand.

A map centered on Oceania with the three dominant cultures highlighted. The Micronesia in the top left is pink, Melanesia is under Micronesia and labeled blue.
Source

Pacific Culture Areas Map

This map illustrates the three dominant cultures in Oceania, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia, and which islands occupy each region. This map successfully highlights the number of island nations/cultures and the overall size of Oceania.

A blue, circular icon with an image of a document in the center. Underneath are the words "view document"
Source

Polynesian Oral Traditions

This collection compiled by Rawiri Taonui, a professor of Indigenous Studies, includes creation myths and stories about gods, the origin of humanity, and cultural heroes for several Polynesian cultures, such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and numerous others.

A moai head with distinctively large nose and lips, rectangular ears, and a large forehead.
Source

Moai on Easter Island

The Moai are large statues on Easter Island in Oceania, known for their distinctive head and facial features. The moai were created by the Rapa Nui people likely between 1250 and 1600 CE.