Ceremonial items, which were seized as illegally exported goods made from endangered species, are on display at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art.
On Tuesday, the museum debuted its "Voicing Indigenous ARTifacts: Amazonian Featherwork" exhibit, showcasing nine pieces, including headdresses, masks and necklaces used by six Brazilian native groups as ritual adornments and social status symbols. The exhibit runs through Sept. 15.
The Harn's Director of Public Relations and Marketing Tami Wroath said that while presenting the artifacts as works of art, the museum will also highlight the issue of the illegal trade of wildlife products.
The nine exhibit pieces, made from feathers of endangered species, were part of a seizure of more than 2,500 Amazonian objects by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003. Wroath said the objects were exported in violation of five international and domestic treaties.
"In May of 2005, the confiscated objects were donated to the Florida Museum of Natural History under the condition that the collection would be used for educational purposes," she said.
Anthropology graduate student Sonia Duin will give a presentation July 19 at 3 p.m. that will discuss how the objects were used in Amazonian culture and the problems that arise from illegal exportation.
"The material culture of indigenous people depends on a number of species that are considered endangered," she said. "Feathered accessories in particular are a critical element of how native peoples interact with their social and religious world."
