Asmat Adventure Day

including Anthropology 
Alumni Reunion
   

 
Asmat Home    Photo Gallery    Museum Exhibits   Historical Events 
School Tours    Library Resources    Asmat Links     Contacts  

 
On Saturday, April 24, 2004, the day after the opening gala for the joint museum exhibition, there will be a full day of lectures, videos, and special programs on Asmat art and culture open to the public: Asmat Adventure Day. All events are free of charge, and families are welcome!
 
Speakers will include experts on the Asmat and other indigenous peoples of western New Guinea. There will be museum exhibit tours, arts activities, storytelling, and videos in various locations on the WSU campus including the Holmes Museum of Anthropology, Ulrich Museum of Art, and Ablah Library. Activities at the Ulrich Museum will include a special workshop for teachers.

For more information about Asmat Adventure Day, call 978-3195. For a map of the WSU campus, visit http://www.wichita.edu/online/map.asp.  

Anthropology Reunion and Open House

The Department of Anthropology will be holding a reunion and open house on Friday and Saturday, April 23 and 24, 2004 as part of the activities focused on the opening of the Downing Collection of Asmat Art. Alumni are encouraged to attend the Friday gala opening as well as the lectures and other activities on Saturday. A special alumni potluck is planned for Saturday evening. The official alumni hotel is the Wesley Inn at 3343 E. Central (1-888-858-3343). The rate is $49 for a single and $59 for a double. Some transportation by university minivan will be provided. The cost of the Friday Asmat Gala is $50.00 per person; the cost of the Saturday Open House is $15.00 per family. For more information, contact the Department of Anthropology at 316-978-7068.

Schedule of Adventure Day events 

Free guided tours will be available at the Holmes Museum of Anthropology from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and at the Ulrich Museum of Art from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.  Tours will last approximately 30 minutes.

Morning Activities

9:00 – 11:00

Asmat Educators Workshop (free); Location: Ulrich Museum; (Registration begins at 8:30); For more information, call 978-3664.

10:00 – 11:00

Patti Seery, Organizer and Leader of WSU Asmat  Expedition; Slide show on 2001 collection expedition; Location: RM 201, Ahlberg Hall

11:15 – 12:15 

John Burke Burnett, Director; Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance: One goal of the Alliance is to help the Asmat learn to deal with the encroaching outside world; Location: RM 201, Ahlberg Hall

Afternoon Activities

12:00 – 1:00 

Pizza (free, donations will be welcome); At three locations: Holmes Museum, Ulrich Museum, Ablah Library 

12:30 – 1:00

Myth of the First Ancestor: an Asmat creation myth adapted for children by Deborah Dimmick; Location: Reserve Reading Room, First Floor, Ablah Library (Appropriate for all ages)

12:30 – 1:30

Video: Asmat, Time’s Forgotten People (52 min.; Location:  Ablah Library, Room TBA

12:30 – 1:30

Explore the Internet: Asmat and More; Location: RM 217, Ablah Library

1:30 – 2:00

Video: Rituals of the Asmat Tribe (30 min.); Location:  Ablah Library, Room TBA

2:00 – 2:30

Myth of the First Ancestor: an Asmat creation myth adapted for children by Deborah Dimmick; Location: Ulrich Museum (Appropriate for all ages)

2:00 – 3:30

Video: Dead Birds
A classic ethnographic film on warfare among the Dani of New Guinea.  The video will be introduced by Dr. Karl Heider of The University of South Carolina.  Dr. Heider was the ethnographer and back-up cameraman for Dead Birds during its production in 1961.  This video is not appropriate for small children. Location: RM 201, Ahlberg Hall

3:45 – 4:45 

Dr. Karl Heider, University of South Carolina “How We Missed Emotion in the Film, Dead Birds”; Dr. Heider will discuss the making of the film Dead Birds and how they missed the important theme of emotion while filming the funeral of a small child. Location: RM 201, Ahlberg Hall 

2:00 – 4:00

Tours of “Spirit Journeys” exhibits at the Ulrich Museum and the Holmes Museum
 

Design and Layout by Judith A. Wolfe and Cathy Moore-Jansen, Collection Development, Ablah Library
Wichita State University Libraries, 1845 Fairmount Wichita, KS 67260-0068 Tel: 316-978-3481 http://library.wichita.edu/
 Images courtesy of Jerry Martin, Director of Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology, Dept. of Anthropology, Wichita State University