RECIPES Mitsitam Cafe shares the flavor, originally sipped with chilies by the Mayans, with two quick, tasty recipes
By Kara Briggs Washington—Chocolate is a flavor as old and varied as the Americas, says Richard Hetzler, executive chef at the acclaimed Mitsitam Cafe at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Mayans transplanted the cacao tree from the rainforest to their villages and fermented, dried and roasted its seeds to concoct a decidedly unsweet drink involving chilies and lots of froth. The Aztec were drinking the bitter brew when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the 1520s. Although the Spaniards didn’t like the beverage, they hauled the cacao seeds back to Europe. A century later, when someone thought to add sugar—a luxury the ancient Mayans didn’t have—this indigenous American flavor became a lasting worldwide sensation. ... |
FOOD A Q&A on the unique indigenous crop that "can only be harvested with the human hand" By Kara Briggs
Washington—The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian will host the “Power of Chocolate” festival on Feb. 13 and 14, bringing an eclectic mix of cultural arts and science to the museum in Washington, D.C. Howard-Yana Shapiro, the global director of plant science and external research at Mars Incorporated, will give a talk about the mythology of chocolate and its relationship with indigenous peoples at 2 p.m. on both days. Over his long career Shapiro has taught sustainable agriculture in universities, junior colleges and high schools throughout the United States. In documenting the oral history of seeds, he turned to the cacao bean—the basis of chocolate—and traced it through agricultural practices and archives to its roots in the cultures of the Mayans and their ancestors. Shapiro is the co-author with Louis E. Grivetti of “Chocolate: History, Culture and Heritage” (Wiley, 2009), ... |
ARTS The Dunne-za sculptor’s work uses everyday plastic items, such as trash cans, chairs, and luggage, in totally unexpected ways By Kara Briggs
Washington—Artist Brian Jungen’s oversized animals have invaded the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian for the exhibition “Strange Comfort,” which runs through Aug. 8. An emu on roller skates and a two-tone crocodile—both crafted from plastic luggage—hang from a mobile in the Potomac Atrium. In the retrospective’s gallery, a whale skeleton hangs resplendent under lights. Only upon closer inspection does it become clear that the whale’s bones are cut from common plastic chairs. Jungen, 40, of the Dunne-za First Nations in British Columbia, is called the best Native artist of his generation by Paul Chaat Smith, curator of “Strange Comfort.” Jungen’s work is usually shown by modern art galleries in cities such as New York, Montreal, Rotterdam and Munich. Never have his creations been made available, as they are now, to the zoo-going set. ... |
BOOK A tween book published by the museum and featuring an Osage boy is named Best Middle School Book.
By Kara Briggs Washington—“Meet Christopher: An Osage Indian Boy from Oklahoma” has been named the Best Middle School Book for 2009 by the American Indian Library Association. Author Genevieve Simermeyer selected her cousin as the focus of the book, the fourth in the My World series published by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Christopher Cote lives in Skiatook, Okla., a town on the border of the Osage reservation. Simermeyer, who is the museum’s school programs manager, and Katherine Fogden, who is a museum photographer and Mohawk, traveled to Oklahoma to document Christopher’s life. “I think what makes him interesting is that he is a lot like every other kid in his school,” Simermeyer said. “He’s in the band, he likes to play the trombone. He very much has a sense of not having to be only one thing or another. Participating in all the extracurricular activities doesn’t impinge on being an Osage person. They are all a part of who he is; he doesn’t feel like one thing is more important than the other.” Christopher was 11 when the author began her research by chatting with him on the phone. Producing the book took over two years, and now Christopher is a freshman in high school. Simermeyer said he is proud to be the protagonist, and his family is proud of his willingness to share his life story.... |
SPORTS The exhibition documents the vibrant Native youth culture of skateboarding By Kara Briggs
New York—“Ramp It Up!”, an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City until June 27, focuses on one of the most popular forms of recreation in Native communities—in addition to better-known Indian Country sports like basketball, lacrosse and rodeo. Skateboarding is an indigenous American sport, said curator Betsy Gordon. Using historic and contemporary photos, the exhibition explores the Native skateboard movement. Skateboards were born of Hawaiian surf culture, rooted in ancient traditions of the Polynesian islands. Surfers figure in the Hawaiian Islands’ ancient petroglyphs. The 2001 documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” narrated by Sean Penn, tells the story of the young skaters in Santa Monica, Calif., in the 1970s who evolved modern skateboarding by borrowing the styles of renowned Native Hawaiian surfer Larry Bertlemann... |
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