Museum of Indian Culture

Also located in Allentown, PA is the Museum of Indian Culture. By pure happenstance, this is located off the same road as the DaVinci Museum.


The Museum of Indian Culture is only open on Fridays - Sundays from noon-4. Each visit includes a guided tour with a local expert.

The focus of the museum is the Lenape (Delaware) tribe, but the museum and docent also relate it to other tribes, such as the Iroquois and the Hopi. Outside is a small Lenape Village. Inside the museum is filled with lots of artifacts that help teach about Lenape daily life.

 

Ashley had heard about mortar and pestles being tied to trees to make it easier to grind corn. She was pleased to see it in action and have a chance to make it work.

The current special exhibit is on Kachinas: Spirit Dolls of the Hopi, featuring the carvings of George Melloy. That alone is worth the trip.

On a side note, there are many "experts" on every subject. They will each tell you with absolute certainty that they are correct because their research shows that what we used to believe was completely wrong. We encountered that situation at this museum.

Whenever possible it is best to use primary sources for your information. However the Lenape had an oral tradition, so it is impossible for us to read their diaries and letters. M.J. Harrington's fictional book called "The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon among the Lenape" is considered an insider's look into the early Lenape culture as seen through the eyes of a white teenage boy. http://www.amazon.com/Indians-New-Jersey-Dickon-Lenapes/dp/0813504252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309176949&sr=8-1

http://www.lenape.org/index_files/GuidedTours.html

http://www.churchvillenaturecenter.org/