Tuesday, 1 May 2018
Point of Rocks RV Campground — Prescott, Arizona
Temps: 61F (16C) / 40F (4C)
Woke up to 47F (8C) @ 6:00a. It warmed up a bit as the day progressed — especially once the overcast lifted and the sun came out. But a crisp breeze won the battle … the day remained a bit nippy … and drizzly.
The bushes next to the Phaeton were teeming with tiny birds — little grey jobbies that were busy pecking away at whatever new growth was trying to bud. They provided entertainment as I worked through the photos from yesterday’s hike.
Mui went out and took care of some errands. He also worked a small ‘construction’ project for me. I’ll write about that separately. For now, suffice to say that I appreciate his ingenious solution to my dilemma.
After lunch we went into town to visit the Smoki Museum. This is a small facility that has some beautiful Native American artifacts. We qualified for the senior (55+) admission of $6pp — a dollar off the regular price. Definitely worth it IMHO.
We start out by looking at the lovely pottery in the display cases.
We knew nothing about the Smoki when we entered the museum. An introductory spiel by the woman at the front desk took care of educating us … as did the Smoki People Exhibit in a room at the rear of the building.
Turns out the Smoki were not a Native American tribe. Rather, they were white people — residents of Arizona — who re-enacted Native American ceremonial dances between 1921-1990 … body paint and elaborate costumes were part of their portrayals. The re-enactments were not appreciated by the Hopi, and eventually the performances by the Smoki Tribe — as the enactors called themselves — came to an end.
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Once in costume, the Smoki never revealed their true identity.
Housed in a stone building that dates back to 1935, the museum that the Smoki established survived the changing times. The organization exhibits the artifacts we enjoyed seeing today and continues to promote its mission of instilling understanding and respect for the indigenous cultures of the southwest.
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Left: Acoma Polychrome Canteen.
Right: Tusayan White Ware — Flagstaff Black on White.
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Items from the miniature collection … the one on the left is made from horsehair.
Return of the Kachinas … Artist: Kate Cory.
Additional photos from our museum visit are in my online gallery. Click here and use the arrow on the right to scroll through the images.
Our plan was to next wander around downtown Prescott. But the clouds had moved in while we were in the museum. The wind had also picked up — turning quite gusty and adding a definite chill to the air. We weren’t dressed for the cold, so we took care of a few errands and returned home instead.
The on-and-off drizzle that followed us home turned into real rain after 9:00p. Cozy in the rig, I’ve been enjoying the pitter-patter of the drops on the roof as I work on this post. I like to go to sleep to the sound of the rain, so I’ll call it quits now and head to bed.
© 2004-2018 Two to Travel's Phaeton Journeys. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.
Nice to have rain in the desert, for sure. Interesting tidbit about the "Smoki's". I can definitely imagine the consternation of the Hopi. What do they call it, cultural misappropriation or something or other? Native Americans got all bent out of shape back in the late 80's when all the New Ager's (yeah I was one for a time) started having sweat lodges and smudging ceremonies. Sigh. Seems as though we can share our different cultures without feeling that someone is stealing. So many traditions from around the world are quite wonderful and fun to experience. Not quite sure about the PC part of this whole thing, and I do know from experience that around the Hopi especially it is important to walk on eggs.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting that there was a "tribe" of white Native American admirers for nearly 70 years. I'd never heard of them. I assume these artifacts are not things they created in imitation but rather come from the ancestral Natives of the desert Southwest. It's a wonder they don't want them returned. You've shown me something I knew nothing about. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMost of what I saw had signs indicating the ruins where they had been excavated from. There were replicas, as well, but the artists were associated with various Native American tribes.
DeleteGuess I need to put this on my list for next time. Looks like my kind of museum!
ReplyDelete