The exhibition looks at North, Central, and South America, and the indigenous groups that called these places home before colonization. Throughout the exhibition, you can view various textiles that were worn by these Indigenous groups such as glasses to block out the sun or ceremonial clothing that was reserved for tribal leaders. The early Americas were made up of small societies that were hunter and gatherers. The objects in this exhibition were collected by George Gust of New York who, during his lifetime collected over 800,000 artifacts. These objects offer a distinct perspective on these indigenous people and some of the objects date back to 11,000 B.C. While these objects are a way to see into the past, they also give the viewer a look at how people lived and the use of each object. Most, if not all of the objects offered some sort of protection from the elements and served a purpose outside of aesthetics.
