Hello world! This week as a part of ASTU 100 we were asked to explore the “Amazonia Exhibit” by Nuno Porto at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) located on campus here at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Although a relatively small exhibit within the museum, the Amazonia Exhibit stood out when juxtaposed with the rest of MOA due to its vivid colours and enticing objects on display.

There was so much to explore within such a small space, but what was evidently clear was that native Amazonian’s were experts at crafting practical and useful tools to further their day to day survival. These included things such as darts for hunting:

Utensils for eating and cooking:

Bags for carrying objects:

And even headdresses for ceremonial (or possibly even fashionable) purposes:

But the object that stood out to me while perusing the exhibit was one I connected with immediately, the hammock:

We often look at hammocks as an object of leisure, but it is rarely if ever looked upon as a tool of survival. The hammock is a sturdy object that holds the user well above the ground and in turn helps protect from certain predators. Strung up high enough, it can also be used to hide from enemies or other imminent danger. The hammock is also a light and easy to carry object that is useful for people that tend to move around a lot.

The reason the hammocks within the exhibition stood out to me was because I have spent a lot of time in hammocks for survival purpose. When I was in the army, the majority of our training took place in the jungle, and the purpose was to learn to survive, much like the Amazonian tribes. Although we spent more time in tents than hammocks, a few times I did manage to find an ideal spot for a set up. Hammocks are easy to carry, set up, and dismantle. They provide tactical benefits involving height as well as the ability to view your surroundings thus making ambushes less likely.

Even after I left the military, I still found myself in a hammock. This summer I spent two weeks camping around the southwest of the United States with friends in its national parks. Rather than opting for a spot in the tent, I decided that spending my nights in a hammock would make for a more memorable experience. When the threat of bears raiding campsites came up, my friends in the tent were certainly a lot more scared as they were closer to the ground. Whereas my friend and I who opted for hammocks found ourselves stargazing into the milky way before we fell asleep without a care in the world.

       

Another hammock benefit is being able to witness things you might have missed while sheltered and indoors:

Learning to survive in the jungle as well as camping out with friends, there was so much of the Amazonian exhibit that I could relate to on a personal level. When I saw the hammocks at the exhibit, it was easy to understand why the Amazonian tribes used hammocks in the rainforest as a part of their toolbox.

I found further similarities between myself and the Amazonian people, for I too enjoy making and using my own tools:

Overall, I had a great time at the exhibit and found myself quite immersed in the experience: