The Windy City and the 1893 World's Fair

Hello from the Windy City!

Two weeks on the job and I'm loving what I do.  I'm working in the Anthropology Conservation Lab at The Field Museum and I'm helping to enter artifacts into their new online database system.  The Museum has been collecting since 1893 and has over 26 million artifacts; at any given time, only about 1% of them are on display.  What this project will do is make the collections available so that they can be searched and studied by any researcher or museum who has access, thereby giving a new life to these priceless pieces.

I've also had a chance to tour the 1893 World's Fair exhibit currently at the Museum.  After the 1871 Chicago Fire, the city cleaned itself up, applied for and was granted the space to host the World's Fair.  It was originally supposed to open in 1892 to commemorate Columbus' arrival in the New World, but due to the size and budget it opened in May of 1893.  After the Fair was over, various leading businessmen floated the idea that there should be a museum built to house the artifacts that had been on display.  Marshall Field (the department store tycoon) donated the largest amount of money and The Field Museum was born.

Among the artifacts were a 600 gallon ceramic tea vessel from Japan, troglodite fossils, some of the first taxidermed animals to be put on display, and Inuit and South Seas natives who had been "relocated" to give visitors a look into how they lived.  This was also the first large-scale use of electricity.  The entire Fair was lit by it using Nicola Tesla's lightbulb designs.

It is fascinating to look back at these artifacts.  Not only do they give us a glimpse of what the mindset was like in the late 19th century but many of them are still today providing us with scientific information to help scientists do things like rebuild species' populations.  However, it does make me glad that we live in a scientific world that recognizes the importance of studying an animal in its native environment, whether beast or human.  The advance of the study of Anthropology has a good deal to do with this fact.  As the discipline was progressing in the 1920's and 1930's, the realization that knowledge and learning came easier when the subject was relaxed promoted the idea of studying different cultures in situ, or as they lay.  I.e., the less disturbance you make, the more accurrate an idea you can glean of how the civilization in question actually functions.   Anthropology has taken this up as its guiding principle ever since.

It's a Bug's Life! Adventures with the creepy-crawlies

Greetings, fellow wayfarers,

You know, insects really get a bad rap.  They are among the most numerous species on the planet, they perform multiple useful functions, serve as inspiration for medical and military developments, and eat other things that we wouldn't want in our houses, just to name a few.  And yet, whenever we see them, we shriek and squish them.

This past week, I was fortunate enough to go on a tour of the Entomology Department at The Field Museum, led by Dr. Jim Louderman.  Not only is Dr. Louderman a distinguished scientist -- he travels through Latin America studying beetles and is working to restore the natural habitat of the Indiana sanddunes -- but he was an enthusiastic and knowledgable guide as well.  Of the many things I learned, here are a few of the highlights:

- Tarantulas are not lethal to humans.  It takes 2 days for them to store up the venom again from biting other animals they eat for food and 1 week to restore it from biting us, and a tarantula doesn’t get a meal out of us.  It therefore has no incentive to bite.  

- There is no known species of tarantula that is native to either North or South America that is poisonous to humans.

- Tarantulas smell with their feet so from you holding them on your hand they are able to get your taste and know that they are not in danger.  

- Male tarantulas only live for about 5 years, whereas the females can live for 28.  The sex organs of the male are outside his body and he needs to deliver them to the female in order to impregnate her.  Once he does, since he cannot reproduce again, his job in the biological sense is complete.  He stops eating and dies. 

- Females can store the semen from one male in their bodies for up to 7 years and have it still be viable. Many females only need to mate once or twice in their lifetimes.

- Make sure you buy any insect pets from PetSmart or another reputable source.  This ensures that the animals were bred in captivity and not sourced from native populations.  If the mom-and-pop stores can guarentee this, so much the better.  Unfortunately, many of them cannot.

- The verdict is in!  General pesticides are what is killing the bees.  Farmers and many others used to use specific pesticides but the general ones are cheaper.  Please buy insect-specific ones that target the bugs you want to destroy.  In addition, the anomaly of a drought followed by a long winter in the Midwest left the bees here with not enough food to survive the winter.  Elsewhere in the world, this was not a problem.  

 - Scorpions glow in ultraviolet light.  They can see in this light as well and the different colors they emit make it possible for them to distinguish between others of their species.  It also warns predators to stay away.

- Horned beetles in Costa Rica are higher in protein than lobster, have the same consistency when cooked plus a slightly nutty flavor, and have 0% fat.  We should all be eating these bugs.

- Another reason for the decline of the bees as well as many other insect species comes from humans introducing invasive species to the area that have no natural predators.  News flash - Just because the animal lives in water does NOT mean that you can safely release it into the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  (Purveyors of East Asian remedies that require live animals and are not regulated - I'm looking at you.)

- Invasive species can be brought in on the wood from untreated crates.  All wooden crates should be heat-treated first to kill any invasive wildlife.  China does not do this. 

- Museums are where a large part of the most up-to-date research is currently happening.  When you see something strange, call your local museum or science center.  Leave the USDA out of it.

It continues to astound me how humans wound up being the dominant species on a planet where we have no natural defenses, no outer exo-skeleton, no venom and a very fragile reproductive system.  Biology is truly a fascinating science.

The Living Museum is waiting!  Open your eyes and dive in!

Update on Gobleki Tepe

I apologize that this post is so long in coming to you,  fellow wayfarers.  Between the end of the school year and moving to Chicago for my internship, I ran out of time.  But here is the promised post.

*These notes came from a lecture given in June of 2014 by Dr. Klaus Schmidt at the Freer|Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC.

Gobleki Tepe, for those who may be unfamiliar with it, is a stone-age site in the mountains of southeastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).   It has been carbon-dated to just after the end of the last major ice age, around the 10th century BC, and demonstrates the earliest known Homo sapien creation of a sacred space.

The term sacred space refers to how human beings historically have attempted to conceptualize and rationalize a world other than the physical.
- What kind of a world was/is this to them?
- How do the humans in question interact with this space?
- What do we turn the mental act of worship into the physical?
These are some of the questions that sites like Gobleki Tepe are helping social scientists to answer.

This lecture focused on recently excavated totems in enclosures A, B, C, and D.  (Archaeologists lay out their excavations on a grid system to help us keep track of the finds.)  These totems appear in several combinations: animals, animals and humans together, and humans fully dressed in animal skins.  As the figures progress in date from the earliest to the latest, they go from featuring only animals to a dominant human anthropomorphic figure.

Here's what we know:
- The carbon date of these totems coincides with the dates of animal domestication that were previously determined for this area of Asia Minor.
- These are limestone totems averaging about 5 meters in height and are of excellent preservation.
- So far only one complete totem has been fully excavated; the rest so far are mostly heads with obsedian eyes, chins, noses and ears. (No analysis has been done to date on the obsedian eyes.)
- The humanoid totems are carved in a T-shape: the head and shoulders are distinct and then the torso drops straight down.
- There are 3-D sculptures of known dangerous animals which, based on their position at the site, appear to be guarding the sacred spaces.

Here are some of the latest findings:

In terms of gender differentiation, both carved male humanoid figures and male animal figures have been found.  The one female figure discovered was found in grafetti on the site.  However, regardless of this, gender does not seem to have been an important factor at this particular site.

The combinations of human and animals are strange.  While no definite determination has been made, some of the animals appear to be lions and bears, as well as snakes, cattle, pigs, and birds.  This indicates the presence of both foreign and domestic visitors.  Further analysis of Gobleki Tepe has revealed 4 distinct centers of domesticated animals: cattle, sheep, pigs and goats.*

*Pigs were thought to have been the earliest domesticated animal.  Recent studies have shown that pigs and goats were domesticated at the same time, but in different locations.

The animals depicted at Gobleki Tepe are animals that would have inhabited both the forest and savannah regions, indicating that the human participants were traveling from farther away than originally thought to this site.  The architecture supports this theory of a limited use site; no permanent dwellings have been found and there is no cohesive form of architecture present.

No pottery has been found at this site, although there have been some some stone beads.   Evidence has also been found of farmers planting trees and many oval-shaped enclosures, possibly as pens for animals. Carbon dating has revealed that there are a myriad of dates represented, indicating that this site was used over an extended period of time.

It is Dr. Schmidt's working hypothesis that Gobleki Tepe was a cultic center.   Based on the position of this site, it would have dominated the surrounding landscape, offering views for miles around.  This site would have been a gathering place, a common center for the surrounding groups and tribes.  Current evidence suggests that this site was of sacrificial significance only.  No evidence supporting celestial significance has yet been found. The lack of pottery is another factor that lends credence to the theory of Gobleki Tepe as a limited-use site; pottery takes time and extensive work to make, which is not something usually done at a site that is not used for permanent residence.

Gobleki Tepe has been under archaeological excavation for 20 years and the latest findings indicate that the work is just getting started.  Further conservation is being financed by the Global Heritage Fund and current analysis and conservation is being handled at Munich University.

A Busy Week - Both Good and Bad

Greetings, Fellow Wayfarers,

Well, this week has been a busy one and it's only Wednesday!  The school year is wrapping up for the public education system, the temperature is rising and museums are starting in on their summer program of activities.  I attended a wonderful lecture this past Sunday and also heard some sad news from the National Zoo that I need to share.  So within the next 24 hours, watch this space for:

- Update: Archaeology at Gobleki Tepe
- The Lost Bird sculpture project on the National Mall
- The closing of the Invertebrate House at the National Zoo

Keep exploring!

Concert Halls as Museums?

It is my theory that museum education doesn't necessarily have to happen in a museum setting.   Let's consider this: the goal of museum education is to introduce people to cultures and concepts that they may never before have experienced in a conducive setting that protects the artifacts and promotes discussion.  If we accept this fact, then visiting the opera, watching a street artist perform, or listening to a concert might serve the same purpose.

There is a very interesting concert coming up in Washington, DC, that is focusing on both reviving and preserving historic Georgian Orthodox Church choral tradition.  I have copied the notes on this concert from the director below.  It is important to note that, where "accidents of history" are mentioned, what is being referred to is the systematic demolition and rape of the surrounding cultures by the the government of the Soviet Union.  In this way, a concert of this kind becomes even more of an important event, as it teaches the effects on culture by an oppressive government.

Paliashvili’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

By Frederick Binkholder

We are ending this season of Chorale programs in a very special way.  This season, which I have called Kindred Voices, has focused on traditional music from cultures around the world, music not created originally for concert performance, but sung by people in community as part of their everyday lives.  These final concerts immerse us in music sung by Georgians for more than one thousand years as part of their religious worship, in a setting from the turn of the last century by Georgia’s most famous composer. 

Because of the accidents of history, Paliashvili’s setting has gone unperformed, in fact unknown even to knowledgeable Georgians.  The Chorale has the special privilege of not only reclaiming and performing Paliashvili’s score, but of recording this work for the first time in its original language.  Our goal is to acquaint choruses and listeners in America with the ethereal beauty of Paliashvili’s setting, and I hope maybe acquainting even listeners in the Republic of Georgia as well.

I know many people who can remember vividly the first time they heard music from the Republic of Georgia.  For me it was at an international music festival outside of Atlanta.  Georgian harmony can be alternatively bold and haunting, exotic and soul-stopping; the vocal music of a people for whom singing is an integral and natural part of feasting, celebrating, mourning, and worshiping, of everyday life. I know musicians whose lives and careers were changed after hearing Georgian music, perhaps Tsmindao Ghmerto or Shen Khar Venakhi as sung by Rustavi Ensemble.

From the first time I heard the one recording that exists of Paliashvili’s music, even though by a Russian choir singing in Church Slavonic, I have felt drawn to perform this music.  The period leading up to the Chorale’s first performances in June 2010 was a fascinating introduction to the history of the piece, to Paliashvili and Georgian music, and the history of Georgia.  After the performances, it was difficult to put it away, and I looked forward to the opportunity of working on it again.

I am deeply grateful to the Chorale for sponsoring my trip to Georgia in the summer of 2012 as the possibility of recording the piece became more and more likely.  It was a true investment by the Chorale in making these upcoming performances and the recording as good as they can be.  I can’t describe the feeling of chanting during a Sunday service surrounded by 200 Georgians at one of Georgia’s oldest and most famous churches, or holding an early manuscript of this piece in Paliashvili’s handwriting at his house museum in Tbilisi, or discovering the neighborhood church where he worshipped and sang as a choirboy in Kutaisi. 

I am grateful to all of you in the Chorale for joining in this special musical adventure. I’m proud of the role the Chorale is playing in bringing this unique piece of musical history back to life. 

Program Notes on Paliashvili’s Georgian Sacred Chants on the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

The Capitol Hill Chorale, under the leadership of Artistic Director Frederick Binkholder, is excited to reprise its American premier performances of Zakaria Paliashvili’s Georgian Sacred Chants on the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, prior to making the first recording of the work in the original Georgian language immediately following these performances.

Zakaria Paliashvili (1871-1933) is a figure of national pride in Georgia, and is considered to be the father of Georgian classical music, known particularly for two of his operas.  His themes form the basis for the country’s national anthem, the opera house in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, is named for him, and he is buried on its grounds.  His portrait appears on one of the bills of Georgian paper money.

He grew up the third of eighteen children in Kutaisi, a small city in western Georgia, the son of amateur musicians active in the local Georgian Catholic Church.  Several of the children were talented musically, and the family moved to Tbilisi where the Zakaria and several of his siblings sang in the church choir and played organ. In 1891, Paliashvili entered the Tbilisi Music School, which was led at the time by the future famous Russian composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov.  After graduating, Paliashvili spent 1900 to 1903 in Russia, studying at Moscow Conservatory, where Ippolitov-Ivanov was now a professor.  Paliashvili’s main teacher was Sergei Taneyev, the teacher also of Paliashvili’s Russian contemporaries – Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Gretchaninoff.  In 1903, Paliashvili returned to Tbilisi and began a career as conductor, teacher, ethnomusicologist, composer, and organizer of musical activities and institutions.

At the time of composition, Georgia had been part of the Russian Empire for more than 100 years. The Russian policy of “Russification” in place throughout the Empire had increasingly imperiled Georgian cultural traditions, including particularly Georgian chant, a unique form of multi-part liturgical singing in the Georgian Orthodox Church that had existed for more than 1,000 years, predating the emergence of polyphony in Western European music by several centuries.  Facing this threat, Georgians had begun transcribing chants on paper to preserve what had previously been handed down orally by master chanters. Paliashvili’s Georgian Sacred Chants is a setting for large mixed chorus of a set of transcribed chants that are used in the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the most common Eucharistic service used in the Orthodox Church.

Since Paliashvili was not Orthodox, his choice of the Orthodox service as one of his first published compositions is noteworthy. As a proud Georgian, Paliashvili makes clear in a Forward that accompanies the published score that these settings were intended as his contribution to the preservation of this important aspect of Georgian musical culture.  His nationalist intent is clear from the prominent size of the word “Georgian” on the title page.

The piece is reported to have been performed once.  Too western for Georgian traditionalists, and too Georgian for the Russian Orthodox Church, by the time of the Russian revolution the piece was clearly too religious for the Soviet period.  However, while copies of transcribed chant were aggressively suppressed and hidden away, Paliashvili’s settings (for example, his setting of ‘Shen Khar Venakhi’) were known and sung privately, often in reconstituted traditional 3-part settings, by those interested in preserving traditional Georgian singing.  In the 1950’s and 1960’s, this included the founder of Rustavi, an ensemble which subsequently played a major role in fostering an appreciation of traditional Georgian music internationally.  Thus, Paliashvili’s Liturgy may not have spread awareness of Georgian chant among his Georgian and Russian contemporaries as he had intended, but it did indirectly serve that goal to later generations. 

At the same time, although individual sections of the work are known, it has remained basically unknown as a single work.  Experts in Georgian classical music at the Tbilisi State Conservatory have said they were aware of the piece, but had never heard it performed as one entity. Currently in Georgia, as interest in performance of 3-part Georgian chant in traditional performance practice grows, interest in 7-part settings of Georgian chant for mixed chorus is likely to dim.

The Chorale first became aware of Paliashvili’s Liturgy in a recommendation from Vladimir Morosan, head of the music publishing company Musica Russica in California, to Thea Austen, a soprano in the Chorale with an interest in music from the former Soviet Union.  

Preparation for the Chorale’s recording has included an intense 5-year research project into Paliashvili and these settings of ancient Georgian chant.  In the summer of 2012, the Chorale sponsored Fred Binkholder on a tour to Georgia accompanied by other Chorale members, to visit Georgian monasteries throughout the country under the guidance of John Graham, one of the leading experts on the preservation and transcription of Georgian chant during the late Russian Empire.  The group visited both Paliashvili’s birth museum in Kutaisi, and Paliashvili’s house museum in Tbilisi, which houses a manuscript of Paliashvili’s settings of the Ippolitov-Ivanov transcriptions, which he wrote in preparation for this piece. 

Welcome, Fellow Wayfarers!

Good morning, everyone!  I would like to officially welcome you to my blog.  My name is Katie.  I'm a practicing Anthropologist/Archaeologist with a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies.  I currently reside in Virginia, United States, right outside of Washington DC.

I've been in love with museums my entire life, which is no surprise since the Smithsonian in is my backyard.  I've participated in several archaeological digs, in Colonial Williamsburg, Montpelier, Romania, and at Vindolanda, Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain.

The world of museums is at a very strategic crossroads right now.  They are not only adapting themselves to a new world of technology, but are simultaneously learning how to stay relevant in this world.  In this blog we'll be looking at some of the changes that are taking place, discussing them, brainstorming potential solutions, etc.

Everyone is invited!  Let's get digging!