Thursday, December 5, 2019, Luna Mimbres Museum, Deming, NM

We decided to revisit the Luna Mimbres Museum to see what we missed. There was plenty but I only included another small sampling of their extensive collection. 

Old dolls tend to creep me out, but the docent told me I must see the doll room and it seemed rude to say "no thanks."

Joani was never a fan of dolls but a clown doll - now that's just plain creepy!

The tiny pots and baskets below were made by the Papago Indians. They were made with horse mane and tail hair and were presumed to be toys. They were only about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter and the craftsmanship was amazing.

The Mimbres pottery was all so intricately decorated. These Indians lived in the area from about 950 AD until 1200 AD. Speculation is that their population outgrew resources in the valley and they migrated north or south to join other tribes.

Mimbres burials remain distinctive from surrounding Southwest cultures through their custom of burying the dead beneath the floors of still occupied houses. Pottery clearly played an important role in burials.

It was during the interval between 1000 AD and 1130 AD that Mimbres pottery reached the peak of its development.

 In early burials, bowls were placed with the other offerings next to the body. Later, however, bowls were purposely broken and scattered around the grave. This practice gave way to yet another, as the Mimbres no longer broke the bowl into pieces, but made a single hole in the bottom of the piece and placed the bowl on the head of the body.

Below is another one of the burial bowls. As part of the burial ceremony, a hole was broken in the bottom of the bowl (to release the spirit of the bowl) which was then often placed on the deceased head.  The body and the bowl were then buried under the floor of the Mimbres homes.

The custom of breaking a single hole in the bowl is known today as “killing” the bowl, and the hole itself is called the “kill” hole. “Killing” the bowl is thought to have released the bowl’s spirit, and subsequently that of the deceased.

Hopi - Sikyatki

Polycrome - Dragon Flys
ca 1750 AD

Of course, we had to spend some more time looking over the rocks and minerals. It would be very exciting to cut into any of the rocks we collected and find something, anything close to what we saw in their collection!