Today, I will be discussing about my observations and experiences on my visit to the Amazonia exhibit. This exhibition is situated in the UBC, Museum of Anthropology and its custodian is Nuno Porto (“Amazonia: The Rights of Nature.” Museum of Anthropology at UBC). The exhibition is about the Amazon rainforest which is the largest rainforest of the world (WWF). This exhibition showcased the Amazonian history, its art, nature, textile and the significance of it. As you enter the exhibit there is a long frame on the wall which demonstrates what are the threats to the rainforest. One of the main threats to the rainforest is deforestation and large-scale agriculture is one of the causes (“Amazonia: The Rights of Nature.” Museum of Anthropology at UBC). The frame on the wall states some interesting facts about the rainforest which emphasizes why it is important to preserve these forests (e.g. 10% of the world’s known species are found here (“Amazonia: The Rights of Nature.” Museum of Anthropology at UBC). Anthony Shelton, the director of the UBC Museum of Anthropology said “People are not separate from nature, but part of it. The relationship is one of interdependence and survival of both is intimately connected,” (Rogers, The Ubyssey). The statement by Anthony makes it clear that humans cannot separate themselves from the nature and their actions have consequences to the environment. These consequences are faced by the humans, themselves in many forms such as the climate change. Therefore, humans should take full responsibility of their actions in the world because this is the only way the world can continue for many generations to come.
There were a lot of objects displayed in the exhibition and they were well organized as they were properly categorized with information relevant to them written below. However, the object I found most interesting and that caught my eye was the headdress from the category of the marketplace. The headdress is made from the feathers of the bird which were previously hunted by the people (Pitt Rivers Museum). Every community or a society has their own culture which is followed by its people, thus wearing a headdress is a part of the Amazon culture. “In many cultures, the head is viewed as the most important part of the body” (Pitt Rivers Museum), many cultures give importance to the head as stated in article, South American Feather Headdresses. This could be due to obvious reasons such as it is the area where brain is situated and if brain is damaged, the whole body can be paralyzed. The article further suggests that headdress was worn by the people because they believed “head is where the soul or spirit resides” (Pitt Rivers Museum).
To further develop my discussion on the headdress, I would bring into notice that these objects were expensive to produce as they were labor extensive and were too delicate for daily use. Whereas, the article suggest that the feathers used to make them were a status-symbol (Pitt Rivers Museum). The headdress from the Amazon culture and expensive wedding dresses from my culture have an analogy. There are many evidences which support my claim such as both are labor extensive, for example the wedding dress requires customization to meet the specific needs of the person who is going to wear it and the headdress is also labor extensive. Headdresses are worn on ceremonial occasions as the article states and so are the wedding dresses, such as they are worn on the day of the wedding.
In conclusion to today’s discussion, the analogy between the headdress and the wedding dress is one of the many ways people from many parts of the world such as Vancouver can feel a connection to the Amazonia culture and can relate to them. However, it is important to preserve places such as Amazon rainforest because they have many communities living in them, who have a rich culture to be explored by the people throughout the world. In the article by Shelby Rogers, ‘’ MoA’s Amazonia exhibit makes a powerful case for forest conservation ‘’, it has been states that countries like Ecuador have listened to the Indigenous people and have realized that rights of nature is important by making amendments to their constitutions. This action has set a great example of taking responsibility by the countries to whatever happens on our planet, Earth.
Works Cited:
“Amazonia: The Rights of Nature.” Museum of Anthropology at UBC, moa.ubc.ca/portfolio_page/amazonia/.
“Our World’s Largest Rainforest: The Amazon.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/videos/our-world-s-largest-rainforest-the-amazon.
Rogers, Shelby. “Review: MoA’s Amazonia Exhibit Makes a Powerful Case for Forest Conservation.” The Ubyssey, www.ubyssey.ca/culture/review-amazonia/.
“South American Feather Headdresses.” Pitt Rivers Museum, 21 Apr. 2016, www.prm.ox.ac.uk/feathers.