The opening of the Exhibit

For the Hall of African Peoples there are multiple exits and entrances. There is no right way to enter and no chronological or linear history to follow. One can enter and read about Ancient People and Ancient Arts as well as the tools used or enter in through the Desert section. What is important to understand initially is that the exhibit is organized by landscape/environment. Rift Valley, Nubia, and Egypt, Grasslands, Forests, Savannah, and Desert are the larger organizing themes. Below that are themes about Age, women, particular cultures like the Pokot and Pygmies, spirituality, trade, African American history, crafts, and ritual and dance. In some ways the exhibit attempts to cover the continent while still exposing the fact that it has selected cultural objects and information from a specific time. The emphasis on the Congo region and the pygmies are two examples that where objects are acquired from and what the Curator's interests is are highly reflected in the exhibit. The AMNH has a history of dealings with the Congo and King Leopold, the former colonial leader of the country. The first curator of the exhibit, Colin Turnbull also spent much of his time doing research and writing about the Pygmies. These two facts expose the fact that personal subjectivity and acquisition mold the exhibit into what it is, not fact but story telling.