JP’IK ESKIMO PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES BARKER WEBBER GALLERY * THROUGH NOVEMBER 12 CELEBRACION ’95 FESTIVAL OF LATIN AMERICAN CULTURES o9scod od ‘uo, butysem ped 3934ON 39S N @Ay woTANATAsUCD BF ~45 uz0T yoxs AzerqtTt/zsul ueTuosyytTUsS The Bulletin of The Field Museum In the Field September/October 1995 The Field Museum An undergraduate Exploring intern in the The Earth And Its : Botany Department People * discovers a new species of plant. 5-8 10 The Museum’s collection of Chinese jades spans every era since the Neolithic. A complete schedule of events, including Celebracién '95, a festival of Latin American cultures UPDATING EXHIBITS While public attention has been focused on the spectacular permanent exhibits installed over the past ten years, the incremental work of updating, refurbishing, and relabel- ing standing displays goes on. _— Story, Page 9 DECLINE IN NORTH AMERICAN BIRD POPULATIONS By Doug Stotz Office of Environmental and Conservation Programs ver the last thirty years, scien- tists and birdwatchers have noticed that many forest birds of the eastern United States are declining. One pattern detected early on was that most of the species that were severely declining were species that wintered in the Neotropics, such as warblers, vireos and fly- catchers. Almost immediately a tie between tropical deforestation and the decline of these migrant birds was made. However, several researchers also pointed out that many of the migrants were forest interior birds during their breeding season in North America. The researchers suggested that continuing forest fragmentation on the breeding grounds and increases in the subsequent cowbird populations were important potential suspects in the declines of these migrant birds. Recent work is helping clarify the relative impact that changes on the breeding grounds and wintering grounds in the tropics have had on migrant bird species. One important study was recently pub- lished in Science magazine by Scott Robinson, an ornithologist at the Illinios Natural History Survey and a Research Associate of The Field Museum, and his colleagues. The study clearly points out some serious consequences that deforestation and forest fragmentation in North America have had on the breeding success of many species of “our” forest birds. Robinson and his colleagues studied the breeding success of songbirds that breed in forests of the upper Midwest. They compared the rates of both nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds and nest predation across the upper Midwest, from Mis- souri to Wisconsin. Remaining forest cover near their study sites ranged from less than 10 per- cent to more than 90 percent forested. They examined nesting success in nine species of birds (eight migrants — Acadian Flycatch- er, Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Oven- bird, Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Indigo Bunting — plus the resi- dent Northern Cardinal). Robin- son and his colleagues found that cowbird parasitism and nest predation increased with increasing defor- estation or frag- mentation. For five of the eight migrants (Wood Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, es Ovenbird and the two other # warblers), rates of nesting success are so low in heavily deforested regions that the birds cannot maintain their populations without immigration from other more intact regions. The other species studied also suffer greater predation and parasitism in deforested regions, but do produce enough young to maintain their populations. The researchers conclude that the loss of forest habitat and forest fragmentation are having severe impacts on the breeding success of migrant birds. In Robinson’s study, Illinois was the state with the greatest level of deforestation. It is per- haps not surprising that in an ongoing project with my colleague Dave Willard, looking at birds that get killed striking a Chicago lakefront building during migration (previously described in In the Field, January/February 1995), we have found that Wood Thrush and Ovenbird, the two forest interior species of Robinson’s study for which we have enough data, show declines during our study. Af ropical deforestation’s effect on migrant bird populations, the subject of much discussion and concern, has greatly influenced conservation plans for many tropical regions. Together with John Fitzpatrick (former curator of birds at The Field Museum), the late Ted Parker, and Debra Moskovits (my colleague in the Office of Environmental and Conserva- tion Programs), I have written a book entitled Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation. In the book, which is being published by the University of Chicago Press and is due out this December, we discuss a number of issues relat- ed to conservation in the New World tropics. Among the topics we examined were the distri- bution of migrants on their wintering grounds and the location of threats to them, Are the —&— Ovenbird 80 70 60 threats to migrants already at risk of extinction primarily on the breeding grounds in North America or on their Neotropical wintering grounds? We found that, in general, migrants are not very sensitive to forest destruction on their wintering grounds. Why? Because migrant birds tend to be widely distributed in winter and they are tolerant of secondary habitats — the vegeta- tion that grows in place of cut-down forests. Among the migrants currently at risk, impacts on the breeding grounds, especially habitat destruction and fragmentation with the subse- quent increase in nest parasitism and predation, appear to be the most serious threat. We also recognize, however, that a few migrant birds have small wintering ranges and use only intact forests during the winter. Unfor- tunately, among these exceptions are three of the species — Wood Thrush, Kentucky Warbler, and Scarlet Tanager — that Robinson and his colleagues found are suffering unsustainably high predation and parasitism on their nests in heavily deforested parts of their breeding range. Scarlet Tanagers winter on the forested lower slopes of the Andes mountains in South Ameri- ca. The other two species winter in the forested lowlands of Central America. Both the Andes mountains and the Central American lowlands are suffering rapid deforestation. When added to the stresses also placed on these same species on the breeding grounds, it is small wonder that these are among the species showing the most severe population declines over the past few decades. However, it is important to understand that to place the blame for the birds’ decline on tropical deforestation alone overlooks the tremendous effects of habitat alteration right here in the United States. - aS: 3 5 a ° Oo at 3B £ S = 2 Z 5 2 & isa) a g 3 =I = sg a=] a = = = as ao c = oO i") £ E s —O Wood Thrush Ned al 50 40 30 No. of Birds 20 The Wood Thrush (above) and Oven- ire DE-CH Eile, 10 ide a HT RWwakad 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 Year bird (left) are among the species tracked in a study of migrato- ry bird populations in Chicago. Both are under stress from deforestation. In the 1995 Biodiver- sity Explorers pro- gram for high-school juniors, students col- lected and classified mushrooms in a for- mal survey of Chica- go-area macrofungi, Jack Murphy, post- doctoral fellow in mycology (at left in top right photo), guided their work. Photos by Ron Doriman HIGH SCHOOL INTERNS AT THE FIELD By Willard L. Boyd President, The Field Museum rom the Museum’s inception, gen- erations of young people have been stimulated by our public exhibits and programs to pursue careers in biology, geology, anthropology, and museum work, While they have not received formal credit for learning, they have given the Museum much credit for learning. As a young visitor, paleontologist Donald Johanssen of “Lucy” fame received great motivation from his Field Museum visits. During high school, Uni- versity of lowa zoology professor Richard Boy- jerg decided to read every label in the Museum; he did so on Saturday afternoons for three years. Recently the Founders’ Council honored James Dewey Watson, who shared the Nobel Prize for DNA. In high school Dr. Watson worked as a volunteer in our Birds Division. In addition to our extensive school and park programs, we have been increasing the number of special in-depth learning opportunities for high school students at the Museum. The sum- mer of 1995 was a particularly active one for these talented young people. The Biodiversity Explorers is an eight week summer program for Chicago area high school juniors. Funded by the Bannerman Foundation, the program introduces students to the museum, environmental biology, and collections-based research through a program of field work, labo- ratory work, lectures and museum tours. This year, the first year of the program, five excep- tional students joined Associate Curator Greg Mueller’s survey of the macrofungi (mushrooms) of the Chicago area. The students went on col- lecting field trips three times a week to survey plots set up in the Indiana Dunes and the Chicago For- est Preserves. Two days a week they processed specimens for the collections and entered their data into the macrofungi computer database. The students participating in the program were: Alexander Janus (Evanston Township High School), Inkyong (Irene) Lee (Lincoln Park High School), Ismial Morrar (Kennedy High School), Elizabeth Salgado (Benito Juarez High School), and Giang (Monique) Tran (River- side/Brookfield High School). The students were led in their efforts by Jack Murphy, post- doctoral fellow in mycology. In 1993, Greg’s high school intern, Eliza- beth Pine, won the national Westinghouse Sci- ence Talent Search award for her Field Museum research project funded by the Donnelley Fami- ly Research Fund. The J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Fund provides a twelve week summer internship for two Chicago-area high school students to work in the collections area of his or her choice. This program was inaugurated this past summer. Douglas Kushla, a senior at Evanston Township High School, worked in the mammal collection and preparation laboratory while Anthony Amend, a recent graduate of Francis Parker High School, worked with Greg Mueller’s group. Another Muse- um internship pro- gram trains women and minority students to do collections- based research on biological diversity. In this program, funded by the National Science Foundation, the interns work closely with Field Museum scientists, working with collection speci- mens and developing and conducting their own research pro- jects. Wil- September/October 1995 Vol. 66, No. 5 Editor: Ron Dorfman Art Director: Shi Yung Editorial Assistant: Jason B. Hamlin helmina Assis, a recent graduate of Hubbard High School, is working with Peter Crane. Vice President for Academic Affairs, in the paleob- otany laboratories. She has been working to identify plant fossils in ancient pond deposits. Fifteen teenage volunteers brought enthusi- asm and an ability to relate to families and chil- dren to our special summer exhibit “Masters of the Night; The True Story of Bats.” The teens contributed twelve to twenty hours a week staffing activities in Stanley Field Hall and out- side and inside the exhibit, especially as inter- preters next to the live bat section of the exhibit and with a “do it yourself’ shadow bat puppet theater. Their bat-related activities also included “Compare-a-Bat,” where they showed speci- mens of local bats and compared bird and bat skeletal structures. They also informed visitors how to attract bats to their neighborhood with bat houses, and they described through stories and maps how different cultures perceive bats. During the school year we sponsor the Chicago High School Museology Program. Now in its 25th year, the course is designed for twenty students entering their junior or senior year who are recommended by their counselor and teacher. The class meets one weekday after- noon during the academic year and students receive one Social Studies and one Science credit. Students study the operation of museums and particularly The Field Museum, with intro- ductions to collections, research, and education programs. They also assist with “overnights” and Member’s Night. Increased mentoring efforts are a key objec- tive for the Museum. At the same time we are working harder than ever to have our exhibits engage young people. While we do not expect high schoolers to read every label in the Muse- um, we do want to challenge them to read many. The Field Museum Exploring The Earth And Its People In the Field (ISSN #1051-4546) is published bimonthly by The Field Museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago IL 60605-2496. Copyright © 1995 The Field Museum. Subscriptions $6.00 annually, $3.00 for schools. Muse- um membership includes In the Field subscription. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not neces- sarily reflect policy of The Field Museum. Museum phone (312) 922-9410. Notification of address change should include address label and should be sent to Membership Department. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to In the Field, The Field Museum, Roosevelt Rd. at Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605-2496. Second class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois. September/October 1995 J UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS SOPHOMORE’S DISCOVERY By Jason B. Hamlin ichael Eakes, one of this summer’s student interns at The Field Museum, is a rather unassuming under- graduate with an aura that suggests sincere appreciation that he’s working in a world-class research institution instead of the local pizza shop. He came to the Museum hoping to broaden his horizons, but he did much more than that: He discovered a previously unknown species of plant. Working with Thomas G. Lammers, assis- tant curator of botany, Eakes examined a close- knit group of populations of the plant genus Lobelia known as the laxiflora complex, which extends from southern Arizona south through- out Mexico and Central America into southern Colombia. Earlier researchers had disagreed on how many species these populations represent- ed, some recognizing three, others five or six. In order to resolve the problem, Lammers had Eakes take a new approach: computer analysis of a large set of characteristics from a represen- tative sample of specimens. Eakes measured and plotted more than one hundred characteristics for each of 70 speci- mens. In the resulting computer sort, most of the samples fell into three distinct clumps, which corresponded to three species recognized by earlier botanists. But Eakes’s analyses also dis- closed a fourth clump of samples, which did not correspond to any previously described species. Though clearly part of the laxiflora complex, this clump was as different from the other three as they were from each other. Careful re-exam- ination of the specimens confirmed the comput- er’s conclusions: These samples, all from high-elevation pine-oak forests in the Mexican state of Guerrero, represented a previously unknown species of Lobelia. Eakes named it guerrerensis after its homeland. The results of Eakes’ summer sojourn into botanical research will be presented at next year’s meeting of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, and the formal Latin description and christening of Lobelia guerrerensis submit- ted for publication in the society’s journal, Sys- tematic Botany. The discovery of a new species of plant is a fairly common occurence. With many ecosys- tems barely explored, and back-logged samples in the world’s herbaria, new species may be simply awaiting a botanist’s careful examina- tion. But for a 19-year-old student, and a non- botanist at that, the discovery of a species is truly remarkable. Eakes attributes his ability to do so to the use of computers and detailed statistical data. Eakes, a sopho- more at the Universi- ty of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, plans to finish his undergraduate stud- ies in computer sci- ence and hopes to move on to botany at a post-graduate level. “Coming to the Field Museum is the best decision I could have made for my career,” says Eakes with a smile. He perhaps knows that James Dewey Watson did volunteer work in the Museum’s birds col- lection and went on to win the Nobel Prize as the co-dis- coverer of the dou- ble-helix structure of DNA. ‘AFRICA’ IS FORUM TOPIC By Susan Nelson Rapporteur, The Nuveen Forum here and how did Africa’s his- tory get lost? How have African peoples and resources had an impact on American life? And how should we edu- cate Americans about our African heritage? These were the questions for discussion July 25 in “Africa’s Meaning for All Ameri- cans,” the first of nine programs in the Muse- um’s Nuveen Forum, “Teaching Culture and Cultural Teachings: Conversations on Culture and Identity in America. ” The series is part of a National Endowment for the Humanities project entitled “National Conversation on American Pluralism and Iden- tity.” The Museum’s “conversations,” with addi- tional support from the John Nuveen Company, will run through June 1996. Some 200 persons attended the opening session, which was introduced by Alaka Wali, director of the Nuveen Forum and also of the Museum’s Center for Cultural Understanding and Change. Chapurukha Kusimba, curator of the Museum’s African collections, gave an overview of the continent’s million-year-long cultural, technological, and biological tie to the rest of the world. The evening’s panel of seven other anthro- pologists and community leaders included Deb- orah Mack, senior developer of the Museum’s “Africa” exhibit, who traced the change in per- ceptions of Africa to the medieval period and particularly to trade with Portugal and Spain, when raw materials rather than cultural richness were pursued. Rey. Michael Pfleger, activist priest of the Community of St. Sabina, suggest- ed that ignorance of Africa is the result of a “strategy of misinformation.” Members of the audience joined in. Muse- um volunteers in the “Africa” exhibit spoke of frustrations they face with ill-prepared educa- tors and children; someone cited the negative tone of a local newspaper’s series of articles on Africa. When the program closed, a sizable group of people stayed on to continue their own conversations. Considering the evening a few days later, Wali noted that people today are reluctant to talk about issues of great importance. “Yet talk in itself is a very powerful action to undertake,” she said, and conversations like those planned for the Nuveen Forum offer an opportunity “to counteract society’s lack of dialogue and dis- course [and] fill a vacuum in the public arena.” Further, she said, the Museum’s conversations are permitting anthropologists and other experts to share some of their findings about humans and their cultures. The second program, “The Creation of National Identity,” will be held September 7 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will follow the same format. The MesoAmerica exhibit and the role that Aztec (Nahua) and Mayan civilizations played in nation-building will serve as examples to be discussed during the evening’s structured conversation. Panelists will include Migdalia Rivera, executive director, Latino Insti- tute; Charles Stanish, Field Museum anthro- pologist; Charles Branham, historian, DuSable Museum of African American History; Faith Smith, president, Native Ameri- can Educational Services College; Carlos Tor- tolero, executive director, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum; and Kathleen Adams, Loyola University anthropologist. Admission is free, but tickets are required. For more information, or to reserve your ticket, please call (312) 922-9410, ext. 530. Bj September/October 1995 uz z= i] ‘Bg KY 2 re So = 2 a a = c c=, Ss oo Drawing of the leaf and flower of Lobelia guerrerensis. Summer intern Michael Eakes (left) and curator Thomas Lammers with the type specimen of the plant species Eakes discovered, Lobelia guerrerensis. Some of the audi- ence of 200 attend- ing the first in the Museums nine-part Nuveen Forum series. Left, Alaka Wali introduces the program. lohn Weinstein UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS Yemen‘s House on the Rock, the sum- mer palace of the Imam Yahya, was constructed in the 1930s on foundations and ruins of prehis- toric buildings. Located at Wadi Dhahr, a short drive from Sana‘a, Yemen’s capital. DISCOVERING YEMEN By Willard E. White Vice President, Institutional Advancement ay “coffee” and I immediately think “Yemen.” Somewhere in early schooldays the association of coffee and Yemen took hold. I remember that Yemen first cultivated coffee on a commercial scale arid dominated the world cof- fee market until the Portuguese smuggled the precious plants, which were as valuable as gold, to Brazil in the 17th century, breaking forever Yemen’s monopoly. Only recently did I visit Yemen as part of a delegation of four college professors, one banker, one museum officer, and the founder of the National Council on US-Arab Relations. Only by visiting this ancient land did I realize that coffee grows in cool upland terraces which are ideal for a menu of delectables — apricots, September/October 1995 fal grapes, peaches, walnuts, and almonds, for examples. At lower altitudes figs, dates, and melons abound. Yemen, so varied in topography and climates, is agriculturally productive, far beyond my limited knowledge of ancient com- modities — frankincense and myrrh, and (of course) coffee. Sitting on the rooftop of Arabia, Yemen is physically spectacular, another discovery for me. On the drive from Sana’a to Marib, where the Queen of Sheba once ruled, we entered what looked like the Grand Tetons and Monument Valley, only much grander. Another day, driving west to Hodeidah on the Red Sea, we crossed even higher elevations where Yemenis, the leg- endary builders and engineers of the Middle East, constructed highrise villages, houses of seven and eight stories each, bundled together like Mont-Saint-Michel on mountain peaks and rocky ledges, defensible and cool. Terraces and irrigation transformed entire mountainsides into productive cropland thou- sands of years ago. Today, in upland districts, donkeys and human labor continue age-old farming practices; along the lowland river beds leading to the sea, camels are the farmer’s beast of burden. The past is visible everywhere in Yemen, but most vividly in the UNESCO World Her- itage Sites of Old Sana’a and Shibam, two “tower” cities with houses and mosques and suqs dating from the 10th and 11th centuries. Shibam, built centuries ago of mud bricks, is only now endangered by neglect and the accu- mulation of moisture from modern plumbing. Up close, Yemen reveals an older and more traditional Arabia moving into the present, decades after their oil-rich neighbors made the leap. Yemen has not yet developed its mineral and gas resources — nor, for that matter, the full potential of its agriculture and tourism. Eco- nomic stagnation is the real legacy of political conflict and civil war. Yemen’s immediate chal- lenge is to harmonize two different societies and two different economies, one capitalist, the other Marxist — a task much like the reintegra- tion of East and West Germany. John Weinstein / GN87529,11a Yemen welcomes visitors who come with an eye for appreciating what this special country offers — its beauty, its history, its culture. Yemen’s leaders understand the importance of educational tourism, programs like The Field Museum’s, which help us explore and appreci- ate cultures other than our own. Yemenis would like very much to see more Americans among the Europeans who visit. In my recent trip, we traveled in safety and comfort over great dis- tances, warmly welcomed everywhere. Yemeni hospitality is another national asset. I am organizing a Field Museum trip to Yemen and Oman, two distinctly different nations, scheduled for September or October 1996. Oman is Yemen’s eastern neighbor on the Arabian Sea, a sultanate which is as tidy as Switzerland, politically stable and moderate in all things. Oman invests its oil and gas divi- dends to preserve its past — over three hundred forts and castles are maintained — even as it invests in roads, harbors, industrial centers, hos- pitals, hotels, schools and telecommunications to support its march into the twenty-first century. Both Yemen and Oman encourage a visit. This is an invitation to discover and explore a world not imagined by most Americans. Please phone for additional information about our upcoming Arabian adventure for Field Museum members: (312) 322-8857. Bruce Patterson 60 FOR BRUNCH ixty members and guests attended the first Members’ Brunch July 23, a fam- ily-style buffet in the Rice Wildlife Research Station with a slide-lecture on Peruvian bats by Bruce Patterson, curator of mammals. Patterson’s lecture, “Life after Dark in the World’s Richest Park: The Bats of Manu,” focused on his continuing research in the Manu Biosphere Reserve of Peru, which is home to about 130 species of bats. The lecture highlighted the differences between fruit- and insect-eating bats and blood- drinking vampire bats that prey on livestock. Patterson highlighted the important role bats play in helping to maintain complex ecological systems by pollinating indigenous plants and controlling insect populations. CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES MONTH, THE FIELD MUSEUM PRESENTS CELEBRACION he Field Museum celebrates the heritage and diversity of the many Latin Ameri- can countries October 9-14. Visitors will meet and talk with Museum scientists who work in Latin America, find out how our botanists conduct research in rain forest or mountain areas, see some of the plant speci- mens they have collected, and learn how the Museum’s research collection is used to pro- duce plant field guides for other countries. You can make a plant specimen sheet to take with you. Anthropologists will share information about their research in the Andes and Amazo- nia. Join us for ongoing interactive demon- strations and enjoy traditional music and dance. The festival will kick off Monday, October 9 with the Aymara Boat Builders of Bolivia. They will demonstrate how the Aymara people fashion reeds into boats. See the Highlights page for Saturday’s activities, which include food and beverage tasting from Latin America, and the Visitor Programs page for a complete schedule of activities. School and community groups are encouraged to participate in Cele- bracién! on October 9, 10, 12, and 13. Pro- grams for the general public are on Saturday, October 14. For more information, call (312) 922-9410, ext. 497 or 288. Performances: Gilberto Gutierrez y su grupo Jarocho: Dance and music from Veracruz, Mexico. Latin American Journey: Join Nelson Sosa on a wonderful trip to Latin America through music. “O5 Renacer Boliviano: Children’s dance performance from Bolivia. Mi Lindo Panamé and Viva Panama: Music and dance from Panama. Machu Picchu: Indigenous music of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Grupo Musical Colombiano: Traditional music and songs of Colombia. Hands-on Activities: Food Interchange: Learn how foods developed in different parts of the world were interchanged when two hemispheres met. bad Name that Country: Match the names, flags, and countries on a puzzle map of the Americas. Amazing Maize: Use the “mano” and “metate” to grind “ixtamal” to make tortillas and tamales. Maya Math: Learn the math system the Maya used to track time, history and the stars. What Pottery Tells Us: Play a shard matching game to find out about the importance of pot- tery and what styles are still being imported from Mexico. What's a Quipu? Learn how to count without writing numbers. The Inca developed a very elaborate system that is still used in some areas of present day Peru. An Engineer's Tool: The native peoples who built the great cities and empires of Latin Amer- ica were superb engineers. Find out how they used their main instrument, the surveyor’s level. Demonstrations: Aymara Boat Builders: Learn how the Aymara people of Bolivia fashion reeds into boats. THE SAGEBRUSH OCEAN he Great Basin Desert is a vast land that covers most of Nevada, the West Desert of Utah, parts of Oregon and Idaho, and California east of the Sierra and Cascades. For humans the Great Basin remains an enigma — its sandy dunes and dry lake beds are still large- ly untouched by development. The Great Basin has been studied by only a few scientists, historians, and geologists. Stephen Trimble, a naturalist, has spent more of his life in this region than out of it. Trimble’s experience with the Sagebrush Ocean began when he would accompany his father, a geolo- gist with the U.S. Geological Survey, to the area, We think historically of covered wagons and settlers of the 1800s passing through the Sagebrush Ocean, but not of much more. Says Trimble, "Time, climate, life, and history have not yet culminated here." Trimble has spent years exploring the var- ious forms of life in the Basin. From sage to jackrabbits bounding from bush to sand, the Basin is filled with life. Two photo exhibits explore two different KKK KKK KKK and Humanities Month Games from Peru: Play with the “bolero” and other Peruvian toys. Meet Cesar Izquierdo, who is a whiz at these games. Te Mate: Taste a South American beverage and dis- cover where it is popular. Traditional Cassava Bread: Cassava, manioc, and yucca all mean the same thing: a root crop that has been a staple for people of the tropical rain forest. Help make cassava flour the traditional way and have a taste of this unique bread. Chile Peppers: Learn about the most popular chile peppers in Latin America. Make a paper chile pepper to take home. Haiti on Wheels: Is Haiti a part of Latin Ameri- ca? Let Max Louis and Aliette Presoir tell you about Haiti’s history and culture. UPTERRLAINARLUTA October pterrlainarluta, or “always getting ready,” is the subject for a cur- rent Field Museum photography exhibit. The Yup’ik culture is one of subsistence. Photographer James H. Barker discovered this first hand when he first visited Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The Yup’ik Eskimo’s ability to gather food and sustain shelter is both a honed skill and a simple necessity. Barker studied the area where The Yup’ik live a life of subsistence, one in which they are “Always Get- ting Ready.” In the exhibit, “Always Getting Ready, Upterrlainarluta: Yup’ik Eskimo Subsistence in Southwest Alaska,” Barker’s 19 years of photog- raphy in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta examines the subsistence cycle from spring seal hunting to winter dancing. This exhibit appears in the Webber Gallery through November 12. The exhibit explores how a culture survives in what seems to be an unliv- able climate. Winner of the 1991 Ansel Adams Award, Trimble has put together this exhibit of 83 pho- tographs, along with lyrically written insights to give a new awareness of one of North Amer- ica’s major landscapes. Trimble’s exhibit of the Great Basin appears in photographic and essay form in the South Gallery through October 2. worlds. Above left, a Stephen Trimble pho- tograph of a frosted dune at Crescent Dunes, Big Smoky Valley, Nevada. Above right, two hunters from Tok- sook Bay, Alaska study the ice condi- tions, in a photo- graph by James Barker, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS 9, ; Thursday The Nuveen Forum 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. “The Creation of National Identity” is the topic for the second in the Museum’s series of conversations on cul- ture. The MesoAmerica exhibit and the role that Aztec (Nahua) and Mayan civilizations played in nation-building will serve as examples. The third conversation in the series will be held October 11 from 8 — 10:30 a.m. The topic is “New Voices, Old Themes: Rep- resenting Change Over Time.” Admission is free, but tickets are required. For more information, or to reserve your ticket, call (312) 922-9410, ext. 530. ~~” Chicago sponsor _Merle Glick. Jar Admission is-f Fer mere inf O/16 sonu Bird Watching at Horicon Marsh 9 a.m. Fall brings a variety of migrating shore and songbirds to Horicon Marsh in east-central Wisconsin. Enjoy a premier “birding” spot on this all-day tour. $47 ($40 members). Call (312) 322-8854 to register. O/I o Monday Nature Camera Club 7:45 p.m. The Nature Camera Club begins a new year of activities with a slide lecture. The club meets in Lecture Hall 2; entry is through the west door. For more informa- tion call Bill Burger at (312) 922-9410, ext. 318. 9 Friday Women’s Board Fashion Show 11:30 a.m. The Women’s Board and Mar- shall Field’s 28 Shop present a fashion show in James Simpson Theatre featuring the Geoffrey Beene Fall 1995 Collection and a special guest appearance by Geoffrey Beene. A luncheon will follow in Stanley Field Hall at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 per person. Please call the Women’s Board office for reservations and information at (312) 322-8870. Of 2 nik Family Overnight 5:45 p.m. Saturday to 9:00 a.m. Sunday. This is the last Family Overnight of the year. Adults accompanied by children grades 1 - 6. $40 per participant ($35 per member par- ticipant). Preregistration is required. Call (312) 322-8854 for space availability or more information. Q/24 sen Ethnographic Film 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. Since the 1920s, anthro- pologists have experimented with film in an attempt to record the lifestyles of various cultures. The Field Museum has in_ its archival collection a wide array of ethno- graphic films rarely seen by the public. Join us for an afternoon of thought-provoking films that center on the artistic expressions of people throughout the world. We will pay particular attention to the accuracy and sub- jectivity of these films, as well as the impact of Western modernization and aesthetic ideals on traditional artistic techniques. $7 ($5 members). Registration is required. Call (312) 322-8854 for more information. G/30 sein Exploring Ancient Egypt 9 a.m. — Noon. A new teen workshop, Archaeologist for a Day: Exploring Ancient Egypt, is just one of the many programs for fall. For more information, see the “Get Smart” page opposite. Teens, Grades 7 and up. $20 ($18 members). G/30 san The Private Life of Plants 3 p.m. Sir David Attenborough, the interna- tionally renowned British author, will dis- cuss his newest book, The Private Life of Plants. For more information, see the “Get Smart” page opposite. $7 ($5 members). 10/9 ix Color Photography Competition 7:45 p.m. The Nature Camera Club will hold a color slide competition for any pho- tographs of nature, with commentary by the judges. The Nature Camera Club usually meets the second Monday of each month, September through June. For more informa- tion, call Bill Burger at (312) 922-9410, ext. 318. ADLEReFIELDeSHEDD MUSEUM CAMPUS 1O/1 Fess 5K Family Fall Walk 9 a.m. — 1 p.m. We invite you to start your day with a 5K Family Fall Walk to The Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium beginning with breakfast at the Chicago Hilton and Towers at 8 a.m. The three lakefront museums have collabo- rated with the nearby hotel on this event which includes a scavenger hunt and activ- ities at each museum, as well as prizes and a certificate of completion from the Chica- go Hilton and Towers. A discounted “Spend A Day” ticket, which admits guests to all three museums, is available to all registered participants. To receive your Family Fall Walk registration form, contact the Muse- um’s Public Relations Office at (312) 322- 8859. The Chicago Hilton and Towers is offering a special weekend package to all participants. For reservation information, call the Hilton at (312) 922-4400 and ask for the “Spend A Day” rate. 11/2.,05; ‘Ancestral Passions’ 7 p.m. Virginia Morell, science writer for Discover and Science magazines, presents an historical overview of Louis, Mary, and Richard Leakey, the first family of anthro- pology, based on her book Ancestral Pas- sions: The Leakey Family and the Quest for Humankind’s Beginnings. Ms. Morell used private family papers and letters as well as interviews and photos to document the Leakeys’ story. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. $7 ($5 members). Call (312) 322-8854. ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ FOR ADULTS, TEENS, AND CHILDREN n keeping with the annual “back-to- school” theme, each fall the Museum offers its largest selection of educational programs. For more information about these programs and to receive a copy of the fall Field Guide, please call (312) 322-8854, A few of our brand-new programs are: New Adult Offerings: (Registration is required for all programs.) Artistic Expression on Film: Selections from The Field Museum Archives Sunday, September, 24, 2 — 4:30 p.m. The Field Museum has in its archival col- lection a wide array of ethnographic films which rarely have been seen by the public. Join us for an afternoon of thought-provoking films that center on the artistic expressions of people throughout the world. See the listing on the Highlights page, opposite. $7 ($5 members). Registration is required. Lecture/Workshop: Maya Hieroglyphic Writing — The Inscriptions of Yaxchilan Lecture: Friday, October 6, 7 p.m. Workshop: Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8, 9 a.m.—5 p.m. Spend a weekend learning to decipher Maya glyphs with Maya hieroglyphs experts Dr. Kathryn and Dr. Nick Hopkins from Florida State University. The weekend opens with a lecture on the “Royal Women of Yaxchilan” with a focus on the role of women in classic Maya society. During the workshop, beginners and more advanced participants will examine the nature and content of the writing system and learn to decipher the major inscriptions at the Yaxachilan site. Lecture is included in the workshop price. Registration is required. Lec- ture only: $7 ($5 members) Workshop: $100 ($85 members; $75 students/seniors) SCIENCE IN ACTION: TOUR BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE FIELD MUSEUM scenes exploration of the scientific collec- tions and research at The Field Museum. You will see the collections — more than 21 million specimens and artifacts that illustrate the world’s cultural, biological, and geological diversity — first hand and talk with staff about how the collections are prepared, managed, and used for scientific research and interpretation in exhibits. The Museum’s new behind-the-scenes tours for adults and families will take place dur- ing the day, giving you the opportunity to visit a variety of research and collection areas. Group size is limited to 15 to allow for a per- sonal and in-depth experience. Take this oppor- tunity to introduce a friend to The Field Museum. The fee is $12 per person for mem- bers; $15 for non-members. You may choose one of the following themes: "Africa," "Extinc- tion,” or "Exploring the Americas." These tours will be offered on different days between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during November and early December. Complete tour descriptions, dates, and registration information will be available in mid-September. Please call (312) 322-8854 for more information or to leave a message with your name and address to receive information by mail. J=: Museum staff for a special behind-the- New Adult Courses: Mystic Ancient Egyptian Art Tuesdays, October 10 - November 14, 7 —9 p.m. $75 ($65 members) Tibetan Culture: Past and Present Tuesday, October 17, 6 — 8:30 p.m. $18 ($16 members) How Do Flowers Get Their Names? Saturday, October 21, 9 a.m. — 2 p.m. $37 ($32 members) New Teen Workshop: Archaeologist for a Day: Exploring Ancient Egypt Saturday, September 30, 9 a.m. — noon Tour the Museum’s “Inside Ancient Egypt” exhibit and learn how artifacts are collected, dated, and interpreted to reconstruct ancient Egyptian society. Participate in a simulated “dig” as you and your team excavate the site and record the data. Study the artifacts and see what conclusions you can make about the peo- ples’ lives and their society. Instructors will give personal insights into their study of archaeology and answer questions about careers in archaeology. Teens Grades 7 and up. $20 ($18 members) New Family Workshop: Beyond the Bat Cave Saturday, October 28, 10 a.m. — noon Batman is portrayed as a dark and mysteri- ous character and bats seen in Halloween deco- rations usually reflect our misconceptions that bats are evil and dangerous. In reality, bats are beneficial creatures that help control the insect population and play a key role in plant pollina- tion. Get a close look at bat specimens and make a bat puppet. Adults and children grades K - 4. $9 per participant ($7 per member participant) _Become a Member of The Field Museum and receive these benefits: Free general admission Free priority admission to “Life Over Time” Priority admission to special exhibits Free coat checking and strollers Invitation to Members’ Night Free subscription to Jn the Field 10% discount at all Museum stores 10% discount at Picnic in the Field 13-month wall calendar featuring exhibit photographs Reduced subscription prices on selected magazines Opportunity to receive the Museum's annual report Use of our 250,000-volume natural history library Discount on classes, field trips, and seminars for adults and children Members-only tour program Opportunity to attend the annual children’s Holiday Tea Children’s “dinosaur” birthday card Y VY eH YOY VEN Vy MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION New Members only. This is not a renewal form. Please enroll me as a Member of The Field Museum Name Address City State ___Zip Home phone Business phone GIFT APPLICATION FOR Name Address City State___ Zip Home phone Business phone GIFT FROM Name Address City State ___Zip Home phone Business phone MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES C) Individual — one year $35 / two years $65 6) Family — one year $45 / two years $85 (Includes two adults, children and grand- children 18 and under.) Student/Senior — one year $25 (Individual only. Copy of I.D. required.) @) Field Contributor — $100 - $249 C) Field Adventurer — $250 - $499 (_) Field Naturalist — $500 - $999 @) Field Explorer — $1,000 - $1,499 All benefits of a family membership — and more C) Founders’ Council — $1,500 Send form to: Membership Department, The Field Museum, Roosevelt Road at Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60605 Erik Catari VISITOR PROGRAMS Dancers from Con- junto Folklorico Viva Panama and Conjun- to Folklorico Mi Lindo Panama will perform on Saturday, October 14 as part of Celebracién! One of the amazing vessels created by the Aymara boat builders. Demonstra- tions and lectures about the construc- tion of boats and their subsequent voy- ages are just part of Celebracion ’95. October 9 and 10. Saturday, September 2 10am-4pm Bat Shadow Puppet activity. Make a shadow puppet bat then take part in a puppet show. 11am & 1pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Visit some of the exhibits which make this muse- um one of the world’s greatest. Find out the stories behind the exhibits. Noon-3pm How Scientists Study Bats demonstration. Watch as bat specimens are prepared for the Field Museum collection. Sunday, September 3 10am-4pm Bat Shadow Puppet activity. Noon-3pm How Scientists Study Bats demonstration. Monday, September 4 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, September 5 2pm Highlights of The Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, September 6 11pm & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, September 7 11pm & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm American Indians of the Northwest Coast and Arctic tour. Explore the people of the North- west Coast and Arctic and learn about their environment, how they lived, and the technologies they developed. Friday, September 8 lipm & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Saturday, September 9 10am-1pm Horns and Antlers activity. Find out the differences between horns and antlers. 11am Stories from Around the World. Gather around as our story- teller transports you to other lands and times. Sunday, September 10 10am-1pm African Metals activity. Learn about the ancient African art of metallurgy. 11pm & 1pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Monday, September 11 l1am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, September 12 2pm Highlights of The Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, September 13 Ilam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, September 14 llam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm Ameri- can Indians of the North- west Coast and Arctic tour. Friday, September 15 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Sunday, September 17 10am-1pm Africa Puzzle Map Learn to identify different African countries with this fun activity. Monday, September 18 11am & 2 pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, September 19 2pm Highlights of The Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, September 20 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, September 21 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm American Indians of the Northwest Coast and Arctic tour. Friday, September 22 liam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Saturday, September 23 10am-1pm Horns and Antlers activity. 11am & 1pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Monday, September 25 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, September 26 2pm Highlights of the Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, September 27 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, September 28 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm American Indians of the Northwest Coast and Arctic tour. Friday, September 29 11am Stories from Around the World Ilam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Sunday, October 1 11am & 2pm Fireballs and Shoot- ing Stars tour. Explore the secrets locked in meteorites that hold keys to understanding our universe. Monday, October 2 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour Tuesday, October 3 2pm Highlights of The Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, October 4 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, October 5 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm American Indians of the Northwest Coast and Arctic tour. Friday, October 6 llam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Saturday, October 7 10am-1pm African Metals activity. Sunday, October 8 11am & 1pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Monday, October 9 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, October 10 10am-1pm Celebracié6n 95 Latin American school festival. On-going interactive activities and demon- strations. Performances: Renacer Boliviano. Children’s dance performance from Bolivia. Nelson Sosa. Latin American Jour- ney through music. Wednesday, October 11 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, October 12 10am-1pm Celebraci6n 95. Latin American school festival. Performances: Gilberto Gutierrez y su grupo Jarocho. Songs and Dances from Veracruz, Mexico. Nelson Sosa. Latin American Jour- ney through music. Friday, October 13 10am-1pm Celebracion ‘95 Latin American school festival. Performance: Nelson Sosa. Latin American Jour- ney through music. Saturday, October 14 10am-3pm Celebracion ’95 Latin American Festival. Performances: Mi Lindo Panama and Viva Panama together will perform music and dance from Panama. Nelson Sosa. Latin American Jour- ney through music. Machu Picchu. Listen to the indige- nous music from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Grupo Musical Colombiano. Music and songs from Colombia zs Grupo Musica Colombiano interprets Colombian music and songs on Sat- Sunday, October 15 liam & 1pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Monday, October 16 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, October 17 2pm Highlights of The Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, October 18 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, October 19 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm American Indians of the Northwest Coast and Arctic tour. Friday, October 20 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Saturday, October 21 10am-1pm Horns and Antlers activity. 11am & 1pm Highlights of the Field Museum tour. Sunday, October 22 10am-1pm African Metals activity. 11am & 1pm Fireballs and Shoot- ing Stars tour Monday, October 23 1lam & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Tuesday, October 24 2pm Highlights of The Field Muse- um tour. Wednesday, October 25 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Thursday, October 26 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. 1pm American Indians of the Northwest Coast and Arctic tour. Friday, October 27 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. Saturday, October 28 11am Stories from Around the World Sunday, October 29 10am-1pm Africa Puzzle Map activity. 11am & 1pm Fireballs and Shoot- ing Stars tour. Monday, October 30 11am & 2pm Highlights of The Field Museum tour. urday, October 14, as part of Celebracién 95, the festival of Latin Ameri- can heritage. UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS KEEPING UP WITH ENTROPY By Eugene Dillenburg Exhibits Department ver the past ten years, The Field Museum has installed a large number of innovative new exhibits. Galleries such as “Trav- eling the Pacific,” “Africa,” “Life Over Time” and others have won wide acclaim as some of the finest museum exhibits in the world. At the same time, we've also undertaken a number of smaller exhibit projects. Often over- shadowed by the major renovations, these smaller projects are no less important in helping the Museum fulfill its missions of public service and public education by keeping existing dis- plays up-to-snuff. Every year, the Museum sets aside a small fund to coyer miscellaneous exhibit tasks: everything from printing up new “Sorry This Hall Is Closed” signs and “Object Removed” labels to more elaborate projects which update information, correct mistakes, or simply plug a hole. These all come through me. I am the Coor- dinator of Special Projects, a dangerously vague title which roughly translates as “stuff no one is quite sure what to do with.” Some Special Projects have a pretty high profile. The 42-foot-tall Brachiosaurus in Stan- ley Field Hall is perhaps the single most-seen object in the Museum. The new exhibits around the elephants and the totem poles, which were part of the Centennial renovation of the grand hall, were also coordinated by Special] Projects (though I wish to make it clear that the Grateful Dead bracelet by the totem poles was Anthro- pology’s idea, and not mine. I’m more of a Dinah Washington fan.) Other Special Projects you may have seen around the Museum include: ¢ the reinstallation of the “Tibet” exhibit * a display on the AIDS research being con- ducted by Dr. Doel Soejarto of the Botany Department * an exhibit on contemporary Hopi culture (covering several old dioramas which Hopi elders asked us to take off display) * the installation of a rare fossil monkey skull, discovered just last year by Dr. John Flynn of the Geology Department ¢ a new look for “Mexico and Central America.” This hall had many beautiful objects, but very little information about the cultures that produced them. We wrote and installed new labels in English and Spanish, and added maps, murals, banners, and a new coat of paint. e photographs and murals to “decorate” the walls around the old “Indians of the Plains and West Coast” hall (which was closed and cleared out to protect both visitors and artifacts from construction going on overhead). ¢ labels and photographs placed throughout the Museum to celebrate our Centennial. These identify a few of the items which have been at the Museum since its inception; honor some of the original collectors; and show how these objects are used by our scientists today. Some Special Projects are less permanent in nature. Dinosaurs are of course one of our most popular exhibits, and for two years before “DNA to Dinosaurs” opened in June 1994, most or all of our fossil galleries were closed. Special Projects coordinated a series of small exhibits to satisfy the thousands of paleontology buffs who came to visit during that period: displays on new dinosaurs from South America, new dinosaurs from Antarctica, a recreation of a fossil dig site, and a viewing area into the exhibit under con- struction, as well as the Brachiosaurus men- tioned earlier. Most of our projects, however, are more low-key. Take the halls of “Asian Mammals” and “Sea Mammals,” for example. Like most of our animal exhibits, they were built before James Balodimas / GN86855.12a World War II and, as was customary at the time, focused on the economic uses of the animals. In the mid-’80s the Museum decided to renovate the zoology wing, creating new exhibits to emphasize evolutionary and environmental biology. This eventually led to such wonderful and popular displays as “Into the Wild,” “Mes- sages from the Wilderness,” and “What Is an Animal?” It was clear from the start that we would not have the time, staff, or money to re-do every exhibit; “Asian Mammals” and “Sea Mammals” were among those we would save for another day. However, their information was out-of-date (range maps still showed “Persia” and “French Indo-China’), and their content was at odds with the conservation and ecology themes of the new exhibits under development. What to do? Special Projects was called in to see if we could help. Updating the exhibit labels, by no means a simple task, was something we could manage without taking resources away from the major renovations. With help from our staff zoologists we wrote new labels, then had them designed and installed. While the physical appearance of the halls didn’t change much, the content is now up-to-date and in line with the rest of the Museum’s exhibits. Such updates and corrections are a large part of our work, for three reasons. First, scien- tific knowledge changes rapidly. New informa- tion comes to light, old theories are discarded, and a static exhibit quickly falls out-of-date. Second, the world keeps changing as well. Every time a country changes its borders or its name, it can affect our exhibits. And third, there’s simple human error. The Field Museum has some seven acres of exhibits, and more than 27,000 items on display. Nobody’s perfect, so it’s inevitable that there will be a few mistakes, a misspelled word or two, etc. And there’s no way we could keep on top of it all if it weren’t for our sharp-eyed visitors. We frequently receive comment cards from visitors who have noticed some error. Citizens of Belize used to point out all the labels that still referred to “British Honduras” (I think I finally got them all), and now we’re starting to hear complaints about the term “Soviet Union” in some of the exhibits. Visitors with expertise in some subject area may question a spelling or a fact on a label. We carefully check out each comment, and if it turns out the exhibit is wrong we make the necessary revision. When possible we change the label, but if that’s not feasible we acknowledge the mistake with an “Update!” label. You may have seen these small green-and- white labels, particularly in “South America” and the Plant halls. We stick them on the glass of the offending case, both to update the infor- mation and as a reminder to ourselves that some- day we’ ll have to make a more permanent fix. Once we receive a comment, our first step is to prioritize. A simple misspelling we can probably live with for a while; an empty case or a missing dinosaur requires more immediate attention. There are always a number of projects in the works at any moment, and we often have to juggle our schedules to accommodate new emergencies. Next we develop the exhibit. It may be a simple case of replacing a label, or it may be something more elaborate as with the AIDS exhibit or the Hopi display. A volunteer or intern is usually assigned to research the subject, working with a curator to gather information and decide what to say. Then comes a long bout of selecting artifacts, choosing pictures and illustrations, and writing, reviewing and editing the label copy. Both the exhibit and the labels have to be designed, mounts made for the objects, and the case painted and prepared before we finally install the new exhibit. This process can take anywhere from a cou- ple of weeks for the monkey skull (which set a new record for us) to several years. “Tibet” was started in 1989 and still isn’t finished, though that’s largely because everyone involved was also working on major projects and did ‘*Tibet” in their “spare” time — a scarce commodity in museums. We have recently embarked upon our most ambitious project to date, reinstalling the numerous objects removed from the Indian halls. Occasionally, objects are taken off display for study, conservation, or safety reasons. Because we've been so busy building new exhibits we never had a chance to put any of them back, and the list of missing objects grew to some 450. But this spring, the Exhibits and Anthropology Departments began working together to bring those items back to public view. As of mid-July we had reinstalled several cases in “Indians Before Columbus” and “Indi- ans of the Woodlands and Prairies,” though it will be quite some time before we finish this massive project. (Creating new mannequins to display delicate clothing is a particularly thorny issue.) Up-coming projects, some of which may be completed by the time you read this, include: * moving artifacts out of the Webber Resource Center and into Indians of the Wood- lands and Prairies, thus creating a new space for rotating, temporary displays; * a new exhibit on contemporary Navaho weaving; * an update of the tobacco, alcohol, and drugs case in the Plant hall; * completing “Tibet” (finally!); * a new video to go with the AIDS display; and so on. This sort of work goes on forever. There will always be little emergencies to han- dle, new discoveries to trumpet, and simple cor- rections to be made. So Special Projects marches on. If you see anything in the Museum that needs our attention, you can write to us in care of the Exhibits Department and we’ ll get to it as soon as time and budget allow. And thanks for helping us keep The Field Museum the world-class institution that it is. 9 September/October 1995 Top: The 42-foot Brachiosaurus in Stanley Field Hall. Below: Doel Soejarto taps a Malaysian tree for latex that con- tains an anti-HIV compound. The photo is part of the new display on AIDS research in “Plants of the World.” A very realistic, gray- ish jade cicada tongue amulet (FM #116531) showing well-defined wings and body on the upper face (top right) and feet and abdomen on the lower face (right), It is a Han period piece, as defined by Laufer, measuring 2.7cm. W, 6.8cm. L and 1.1cm. thick. THE MUSEUM’S CHINESE JADES By Paul DuBrow and Chuimei Ho Department of Anthropology he Field Museum is home to one of the world’s prized collections of Chinese jades and many of its choicest examples are on view in the Jade Room at the southeast corner of the second floor. Opened to the public in 1970, the exhibition put many of the more than 1,200 items in the collection on display. The Field Museum was one of the earliest Western institutions to pay serious attention to Chinese jade and the collec- tion still rates among the best in the United States. More significantly, almost all of the objects in the collection were acquired in China, unlike those in many other Western museums, and they represent virtually every period of Chi- nese history from the Neolithic on, avoiding a strong bias toward any one era. We are current- ly reassessing the collection and the data will be computerized for faster and easier retrieval. These jades were obtained primarily from two major sources, and Berthold Laufer, then curator of anthropology, was instrumental in documenting the various items and in bringing them to the attention of the public. The first source was two Museum-sponsored expeditions to China, one in 1908-1910 and the other in 1923, both led by Laufer. The second source was a large collection formed in Shanghai by A.W. Bahr during the 1910s which was pur- chased by a generous group of local Museum patrons and donated to The Field Museum in 1926. Laufer published two volumes describing both collections. One was Ancient Chinese Jade (1927), primarily covering the jade pieces in the Bahr collection, and the other was Jade (1912). The latter was among the earliest monographs in English on this subject and contained a wealth of detailed background material covering the jade items acquired by the first of the Museum’s two China expeditions. Laufer was also sought out for advice by other Chicago collectors, including the Sonnenscheins, who later con- tributed their prized materials to the Art Institute of Chicago. f Where did the word “jade” come from? For 5,000 years the Chinese name for it has been “yu”; the English word actually originated on this continent, as a corruption of the Spanish term for Indian stone amulets worn for warding off kidney disease. Sir Walter Raleigh, in fact, first brought it to the attention of the English in 1595. Soame Jenyns, in his book Chinese Archaic Jades in the British Museum, cites the original Spanish definition as “piedra de ijada,” or stone of the loins, which translated to “pierre l’ejade” in French. Subsequently, a printer’s error changed this to “le jade” which was short- ened to “jade” by the English. So much for rationality! The word jade, today, conjures up visions of the exotic and the luxurious, of dark green personal adornments and decorative pieces. But jade is only a naturally occurring stone, found in many parts of the world. While not as hard as diamond, it is very tough; because of a unique internal structure it does not fracture easily though it takes a highly polished luster and has a “cool” feel. Surprisingly, in its pure form it is white and can be translucent and only develops the typical green color we associate with jade when contaminated with such things as iron and chromium. It is said that in the 5th century B.C., when Confucius was asked why such a high value was placed on jade as opposed to other precious September/October 1995 MT) stones, he replied it was partly its rarity but part- ly because of its special qualities: “ .. [S]oft, smooth and glossy, like benev- olence; fine, compact and strong, like intelli- gence; angular but not sharp and cutting, like righteousness; its flaws not concealing its beau- ty, nor its beauty concealing its flaws, like loy- alty; its internal radiance, like good faith; bright, like Heaven; exquisite and mysterious, like the earth... .” China since Neolithic times has represented one of the world’s largest and most creative political entities. Jade has had a major cultural impact on the Chinese then and during the inter- vening millennia, fulfilling religious, political, cultural, and burial functions. Although origi- nally restricted to use by the political elite, jade ultimately found acceptance by all classes and economic levels. In fact, the first Chinese cata- logue on jade, Jl/ustrated Description of Ancient Jades, was published in the mid-12th century A.D. by the Song Emperor Gaozong, at a time when jade was still unknown by Westerners. When the 3,000-year-old tomb of Lady Fu- hao was unearthed in the mid-1970s many eye- catching jade objects were found buried with her. Probably the earliest jade collector docu- mented archaeologically, she had in her jewel box jade belts, bracelets, and plaques used as pendants or on shrouds, many already 1,000 years old at the time of her death. Little did Lady Fu-hao know she had started a passion that would last and grow, in the rest of the world as well as in China. olitically, the significance of jade may be exemplified by its use by Han Gaozu, first Emperor of the Han dynasty, starting about 206 B.C. As a former merchant he was concerned about estab- lishing his imperial credentials and was advised to stress ritual to create respect. Jade was the medium selected to do this, to signify authority by using it in Imperial seals, on burial suits, and as girdle ornaments by princes and ruling fami- lies and for state ceremonies. Only later was its decorative use adopted by commoners. Talk about jade objects as charms to protect against evil spirits, incidentally, is still common among many Chinese. Much of the early use of jade in pre-metal periods served both ceremonial and utilitarian functions, the latter as knives, daggers, etc. With changing technology these previously utilitarian implements were relegated to use as ceremonial sceptres, again generally for use by the ruling elite. In the pre-Han period, the Chinese revered six important cosmic impersonal powers, or forces of nature. These represented Heaven and Earth, as well as the four seasons or geographic directions. They provided the inspiration for preparing geometric figures and for many of the designs carved into jade objects such as amulets and pendants. These objects were prepared in an almost infinite variety of colors, sizes, shapes, and carved decorations, often depicting birds, animals, monsters, etc. Another major function of jade was as funerary objects, to be buried with a corpse for the protection and comfort of the dead in its next journey. These objects were also designed to close the various body orifices, supposedly to prevent decomposition. One of the most common of such objects was made in the form of a cicada. Shaped like a triangular pendant, the jade cicada was placed on the tongue of the dead. The nymph form of the periodic cicada spends thirteen to seventeen years underground before resurfacing as an adult insect for a short period. The ancient Chi- nese must have found a very significant “rebirth” meaning in using the cicada design as an amulet for the corpse, a custom that lasted for over a thousand years. The Field Museum has a very good collec- tion of some 35-40 such cicada pieces; one is pictured here, with others on display in the Jade Room. Incidentally, today’s buyers of jade often worry that they are getting glass instead. Their worry is well justified since such forgeries were already in circulation two thousand years ago and glass cicadas were prime examples of “buyer beware” items. Other early peoples besides the Chinese used and admired jade, including the Maori of New Zealand and the Maya of Guatemala and Mexico. Some of these objects are also exhibit- ed in the Jade Room, but the Museum’s collec- tion of non-Chinese jade, although of high quality, is relatively small. DID PRAIRIES CHANGE THE WORLD? By Bill Burger Department of Botany hicago’s motto Urbs in Horta (city in a garden) harks back to a time when prairies dominated much of Illinois’ landscape. When Europeans first encoun- tered these open grasslands, they assumed that the underlying soils were deficient. The explor- ers and settlers were unfamiliar with the Illinois vegetation, which was dominated by fire. The grasslands they were familiar with in Europe and the eastern colonies grew in poor soils. It did not take them long, however, to find that our midwestern prairies were covered with some of the richest soils on earth. Fire-control and the plow quickly converted the burning prairies into the cornbelt. Prairies are a fairly recent development in the history of our planet. Widespread grasslands make their first appearance in the fossil record about 20-30 million years ago. This was during the middle of the “age of mammals,” long after the dinosaurs became extinct. Unfortunately, good fossil material of grasses is rarely pre- served. Much of what we know about the spread of grasslands comes from studying the fos- silized teeth of animals that became especially adapted to grazing. Greg J. Retallack, a paleobotanist at the University of Oregon who pioneered the study of ancient soils as a key to understanding the vegetation of the past. has been looking at the spread of grasslands from a new perspective. He has been studying fossil soils that are character- istic of grasslands. In a recent talk at the University of Chica- go, Retallack noted that the granular structure of grassland soils contains soil particles smaller than those found beneath woodlands and forest. These smaller particles give grassland soils more internal surface for the accumulation of organic materials. It is this finer granular struc- ture and rich organic matter that make prairie soils so productive. Earlier, soil scientists had discovered that the depth of grassland soil is related to the rainfall of a region. Semidesert grasslands have shallow soil while tall-grass prairies in moister areas have much deeper soils. Studying buried fossil soils in the midwest. Ore- gon, East Africa, and elsewhere, Retallack has been able to document the spread of grasslands over the past 20 million years. Retallack’s research uncovered an unex- pected change in grasslands. He found that before about six million years ago, grasslands were restricted to areas of low rainfall. His data show that grasslands with deeper soils appear for the first time about six million years ago, and he claims that grasslands were able to move into areas of higher rainfall at that time. What allowed the grasslands to advance into areas of higher rainfall is not known. But his data sug- gest that before six million years ago grasslands were found only in drier regions (such as today’s short-grass steppes and semidesert grasslands). It is on the basis of these studies of fossil soils that Retallack proposes a bold hypothesis. If grasslands did expand into moister regions and develop much deeper and richer soils worldwide, they had the potential to sequester huge amounts of organic matter. This sequestered organic matter would have been a “sink” for carbon and, Retallack argues, would result in the gradual decline of CO, in the atmosphere. Thus the punch-line of his theory suggests a “reverse green-house effect” may have occurred. Starting six million years ago, he says, the tallgrass prairies began storing more and more carbon underground. Over the next four million years. CO, in the atmosphere grad- ually decreased. The reduced atmospheric CO, trapped less heat and caused a worldwide cli- matic cooling. Four million years after the expansion of the tallgrass vegetation the recent “ice ages” began. From his perspective, the newest prairies did indeed change the world — they catalyzed the ice ages. Bold hypotheses are a hallmark of science. The original evidence to support a hypothesis such as this may be weak, but it does not take long to find new and critical ways of testing the hypothesis. Finding ways to test historical hypo- theses, such as Retallack’s prairie theory, can be especially difficult. American geologists reject- ed the hypothesis of moving continents for half a century; when ocean-floor spreading was doc- umented, the belief in fixed continental posi- tions collapsed. Likewise, the notion that a meteoritic impact played a direct role in dinosaur extinction was at first met with severe skepticism. New data gathered around the world TUTTLE LECTURES ON BATS Merlin Tuttle, founder and director of Bat Conservation Interna- tional, spoke at a number of Museum events during the run of the special summer exhibit “Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats.” Below, he mingles at a Founders’ Council reception. Tuttle also spoke at a brunch kicking off the Nature Network, a new group supporting the Museum’s programs of research, conserva- tion, and environ- mental biology. Bill Kurtis and Donna LaPietra are the co- chairs. The group's next event is Octo- ber 14, a discussion of bird migration phenomena with ornithologists David Willard and Doug Stotz (see page 1). in the past decade has given the “bolide impact” theory considerable support. Can the subtleties of a diminished CO, con- centration in the atmosphere over the past six million years be demonstrated? Can such an effect_be-elearly correlated with expanding grasslands? Perhaps more supporting data will be found. Per- haps contradictory data will prove more convincing. Did the expansion of prairies really change the world? Stay tuned to this activity called science to find out how things turn out. Youngsters enrolled in the Summer Worlds Tour Camp enjoyed learning activities with Field Museum scientists. John Wagner SSS Sees SCENES FROM SUMMER CAMP oon Weinstein / GNB7540.26c John Weinstein / GN87541.32c .o “ea "E & fee [o} a = = S 3 = aS M4 = = o = = ifs) September/October 1995 wii ve MUSE TOURS he oldest temples of the world await you on this Egyptian Museum of 31 2/322-8862 tour by water through Egypt. Begin in Cairo at Antiquities which the five-star Mena House Oberoi with views of contains innumerable the Great Pyramids. Tour the consummate symbol of ' precious artifacts, including the riches of King Egypt, the Sphinx. Then fly to Abu Simbel and board = Tutankhamun. the five-star m.s. Nubian Princess, our vessel on Lake Our tour guides will help to make this a fascinat- Nasser. Lake Nasser sights ing trip. Egyptologist Frank J. Yurko, include the many temples that feegeas RTT bY 4m a Field Museum consultant for the were remarkably raised by engi- & au : Regs exhibit “Inside Ancient Egypt,” neers when rising waters threat- [& 2. 4 brings to this trip more than twenty ened their safety. At Aswan we - years of specializing in Egypt's his- board the m.s. Nile Sovereign fora , tory. He will be joined by Ismail tour of the Nile up to Cairo. ee 3 Mohamed Ali, an official guide for Excursions include Aswan's oe fs all Field Museum tours of Egypt ancient quarries and the Philae | e since 1985 who specializes in Temple; Esna Temple, dedicated : : = Egyptian antiquities. to Khnum, ram god and chief cre- : ee Cost for this twelve-night ator; and many other sites of great aes tour, including round-trip air trans- architectural and historical inter- portation from Chicago, is $5,590 est. Back in Cairo, we will visit the oe : per person, double occupancy. IN THE WAKE OF LEWIS & CLARK A Voyage Along the Columbia & Snake Rivers * May 18 - 26, 1996 ieee the lands Lewis and Clark once discovered along the Columbia River. Beginning in Portland, Oregon, this 450-mile river journey is impossible for larger vessels, but the 70-passenger sister ships Sea Bird and Sea Lion can maneuver all the way into Idaho — in the comfort of a large yacht. See Lewis and Clark's winter headquarters; the Columbia River Gorge, where waterfalls cascade from forested slopes; and the Snake River's Hells Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America. With guided excursions by jet craft and zodiacs, this tour explores lands rich with beauty and history. Tour cost ranges from $2,350 to $ 3,560 per person, according to cabin size and location. Islands of the Gods ® October 2 - 15, 1996 js joint venture with the Art Institute culminates with this tour of Greece aboard the Lady Caterina, a new — ("\50-cabin ship. Begin in Athens with a tour of the Acropolis, crowned by the pillared ruins of the | Parthenon. Board the ship and head to the Cycladic Islands. Spend the remaining nine days exploring the islands of Greece. some volcanic, others of mythological significance, Phone Field Museum Tours for fur- | ther information.