Day 3; Indian Land

Taking the Subway from 79th street to Battery Park is quite a drive. Still I needed to see Ground Zero and the new Freedom Tower. As I got off the Subway at Battery Park I came across, quite unexpectedly, The National Museum of the American Indian...I pondered going in the I inspected the "free admission" sign...that's my cue. The neon sign at the beginning got me thinking; how many were there and how many are left...

The oldest artifacts in the Museum are from as early as 11,000 BC. Two Clovis projectile points that highly skilled hunters used. It's hard to believe that something so old ended up here at the Museum. Could not ter myself away, reading and re-reading about where they were found and so forth...then the guard came up to me and whispered; "You know, you can take a picture if you want. No flash." I was eternally grateful and took one.

As the guard pointed out I moved on to the next ancient artifact the Museum is known for; Valdivia female figurines. Coming from Ecuador around 3,500 BC and made of clay. There is such detail on these figurines, the hairstyle, the color, the poses...a hidden treasure I never knew before.

Moving on to the Mayan area I spotted musical instruments. What mostly got my attention were little bells from 1,200 A.D. made of Copper alloy. I wonder what they sound like. Must have been great to play.

When I got to the God's imagery the one that caught my eye was God of Life and Creation, Mexico, 1,325 A.D. Apparently it's disfigured to represent the destruction of idolatry and the dawning of the new age.

What got the best of me in the Museum was something an Indian named Tecuwsen said;

"Where today are the powerful tribes of our people? They have vanished before the avarice and oppression of white man as snow before the summer sun. Shall we without a struggle give up our homes, our lands? I know you will say with me, Never! Never!"