P R I M I T I V E P I E C E SThe Newsletter of The Museum of Primitive Art and Culture

1058 Kingstown Road, Room 5

Peace Dale, R.I. 02879 Ë (401) 783-5711www.primitiveartmuseum.org

Vol. 25, No. 1 Fall 2012

Come with us on a virtual visit to the Pushkar Camel FairVic and Susan Dvorak, of Charles-

town, love to travel the world andVic, a professional photographer,records those adventures in vividcolor. Last year, they were at theMuseum Gallery to show us theirstunningly beautiful photographs ofNepal. On Thursday, November 29,they will take us (by photo slides) tothe states of Rajastjan ("Land ofKings") and Uttar Pradesh in north-west India.

For Hindus, the Ganges is a sa-cred river. The Uttar Pradesh city ofVaranasi is one of the holiest placesin India. Hindu pilgrims visit thebathing ghats that line the Gangesto wash away their sins in a ritualbath, or use the burning ghats tocremate the bodies of loved ones.On the winding streets that extendback from the ghats are a number

of temples, including Durga Templewith its hundred of monkeys, andSarnath, where Lord Buddha gavehis first sermon.

Agra, now a sprawling industrialcity, is where the Mughal emperorBabur established his capital in1526. But its best-known attractionis the Taj Mahal, the massive whitemarble mausoleum built by Mughalemperor Shah Jahan in memory ofhis third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

To the southwest of UttarPradesh is Rajasthan (“Land ofKings”), the largest state in India.Jaipur, its capital, is known as “thepink city” for its ancient housesbuilt of pink-tinged sandstone.World-class hotels line streets filledwith camel carts, cows, and rick-shaws.

In Pushkar, a small town on theedge of the Thar Desert, the

Pushkar Camel Fair takes placebefore the Kartik Purnima religiousfestival. About 300,000 people,including farmers, traders and vil-lagers from throughout Rajasthan,and about 20,000 camels, cattleand horses, converge on the townin a spectacle that has become amajor tourist attraction. For fivedays, the camels are dressed up,

paraded, shaved, entered in beautycontests, raced, and traded. A hugecarnival features an array of musi-cians, magicians, dancers, acrobats,and snake charmers.

Please join us to see Vic’s vividand beautiful photographs and tohear about Vic and Sue’s Indianadventures. The program will beginat 7 p.m. in the Museum Gallery.

Women at the Ganges bathing ghats Photo by Vic Dvorak

The annual Pushkar Camel Fair Photo by Vic Dvorak

A veiled woman in Jaipur Photo by Vic Dvorak

Primitive Pieces 2 Fall 2012

Our Fall Lecture Series Begins on Thursday, October 4th

Thursday, October 18

Educating the next generation of change-makers in Afghanistan“The only thing I remember from mychildhood is reading the Quran everyday and asking God not to let theTaliban take over our country. How-ever, my prayers didn’t go too farand the Taliban took over our coun-try. I was in fourth grade and theTaliban stopped me from going toschool.”

That is the beginning of a “journeystory” written by one of the youngAfghan women who have taken part inthe Rhode Island-based Initiative toEducate Afghan Women, the onlyinternational higher education pro-gram of its kind.

Founded ten years ago by RhodeIslander Paula Nirschel, the IEAW(www.ieaw.org) has helped forty-sixAfghan women attend and graduatefrom colleges and universities in theUS. Four students took part in the pro-gram’s first year. During the 2011-2012 academic year, thirty studentsstudied in the U.S. Nine of them gradu-ated in May. Currently thirteen

schools take part in the program.Decades of war have left Afghan's

school systems devastated and bereftof basic supplies. The IEAW finds col-leges and universities in the U.S. will-ing to offer full scholarships to womenfrom Afghanistan and provides sup-port such as airfare for the students toreturn home in the summer, healthand dental coverage, and money forschool expenses.

In return, the students must spendeach summer break in Afghanistan inpositions that help in the reconstruc-tion of their country, and they arerequired to return to Afghanistan afterthey graduate to continue their recon-struction work, provide financial sup-port for their families, and serve asrole models.

Incoming freshmen take part in anorientation program each August inRhode Island. They take courses inEnglish (all must have a high level ofproficiency in English to be acceptedinto the program), math, research

methodology, grammar, and creativeand expository writing. “America 101”introduces them to American cultureand provides a preview of campus life.They also enjoy trips and social events.

Each January, all the students cometogether from around the U.S. for anintersession period.

This year's session took them toWashington, D.C., where they at-tended two concerts at the KennedyCenter, had a guided tour of theCapitol (thanks to Senator Jack Reed),rode the Metro, saw the treasures ofIslamic Art at the Freer Gallery, touredthe National Museum of the AmericanIndian, and had tea at the Embassy ofAfghanistan with Mrs. Sultana Hakimi.

On Thursday, October 18, at 7 p.m.,in the Museum Gallery, Risa Gilpin,IEAW Program Director, will present aslide show illustrating this programand the courageous journeys of theyoung change-makers who have takenpart in it.

Each program begins at 7 p.m. in the Museum Gallery on the second floor of the Peace Dale Office Building,

1058 Kingstown Road, across from the Peace Dale Library. Refreshments will be served.

Admission is free for Museum members; a donation by non-members is appreciated.

Participants in the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women visit the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C. in January.

Primitive Pieces 3 Fall 2012

The Museum of Primitive Art and Culture

1058 Kingstown Road, Room 5 • Peace Dale, Rhode Island 02879 • (401) 783-5711

www.primitiveartmuseum.org

Beth Hogan, Museum Administrator

Louise Weaver, Administrative Assistant

Mary Brown, Educator

The Museum Gallery is open Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment.

From the Curator's DeskBy Sarah Peabody Turnbaugh

As summer ends and we settle in for the fall atour homes and schools, we are probably unpack-ing our luggage about now. Suitcases, knapsacks,and bags and luggage racks serve us well.

Back in the late 1800s, the Teton Sioux of theCentral Plains were doing the same as theymoved their tipis from summer to winter camps.

This double saddle bag is fashioned of animalhide and beaded decoratively with tiny, colorfulglass seed beads. It functioned much like ourduffel bags and suitcases. Both end pockets couldbe stuffed with various persional belongings suchas clothing. Once packed, the bag was laid overthe horse's saddle, ready for travel.

Holiday Open HouseFriday, November 30th, 3 to 8 p.m.

Come experience Christmas Around the World

in the Museum Gallery

Crafts for the children É Refreshments for all

Thursday, October 4

Preserving OurStone Treasures

A unique conjunction of geology, economy, andagricultural practices gave southern New Englandmore hand-built stone walls than anywhere else inthe world. In 1939, a miningengineer estimated thatthere were probably morethan 250,000 miles of stonewalls in the northeasternUnited States, and most ofthose miles were in NewEngland. A contemporaryexpert has estimated thatmore than half of thosewalls remain.

Many stone walls once ran back and forth acrossthe southern Rhode Island shore area to divide fieldsand preserve property boundaries. In the winter,when the leaves are off the trees and bushes, lookclosely at the median islands on Commodore PerryHighway and you can see segments of stone wallsthat once ran north from the ocean.

Michael Angelicola, a mason and stone carverfrom Plymouth, Connecticut, is experienced in alltypes of masonry work, but his true passion is restor-ing historic stone structures. His efforts to matchwhat artisans built long ago have provided him witha hands-on education in how different types of stonewalls were built and maintained.

On Thursday, October 4, at 7 p.m., Michael willoffer a presentation based on his book PreservingOur Stone Treasures. He will talk about the differenttypes of drylaid stone walls, how to date them, andwhy they need to be protected and preserved.

Teton Sioux saddle bag from the Museum collection

Museum of Primitive Art and Culture

1058 Kingstown Road, Room 5

Peace Dale, RI 02879

Return Service Requested

A mill cottage at Rocky Brook, built ca. 1815. Photograph ca. 1935.Photo from the Providence Public Library image collection.