This “lost or stolen friend” left Easter Island in 1869. Carved of dense volcanic rock, it towers over the viewer. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Moai by Dr. Jenny Newell and Beth Harris
After a century in storage, this “Whale Rider” got a visit from his descendants—and received a token of their love. Paikea at the American Museum of Natural ... by Dr. Wayne Ngata
Master sailors fashioned these maps from sticks and cowrie shells, registering relationships between land and sea. Navigation Chart, Marshall Islands by Dr. Jenny Newell and Dr. Steven Zucker
This video decodes the hand gestures, symbols, and styles of Buddhas from Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, and China. Four Buddhas at the American Museum of ... by Dr. Laurel Kendall, Dr. Monique Scott, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
In spite its name, this jade figure was a ritual object and never used as an axe. Kunz Axe (Olmec) by Dr. Rex Koontz and Dr. Steven Zucker
Take me out to the ballgame: hundreds of courts survive for a ritual ballgame that united Mesoamerican society. The Mesoamerican ballgame and a Classic Veracruz ... by Dr. Rex Koontz and Dr. Steven Zucker
Wearers can toggle between the faces of animals and mythical beings—all with the tug of a string. Transformation masks by Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank