Living Cultures
The Living Cultures gallery is a great place to learn about the different people of the world as it shows a cross-section of the 20,000 objects in the anthropology collection at The Manchester Museum.
You can see items from the Mursi people of south west Ethiopia, basketry, musical instruments and beadwork from all over the world. See textiles, pottery and stone carvings from ancient South and Central America.
Two highlights are objects from the Maori people of New Zealand - The spectacular kiwi feather cloak of a 19th century Maori chief and the coconut armour from Kiribati in the south Pacific. Its helmet is made from a porcupine fish and the swords are edged with shark's teeth!
In the 'Masks and Carvings' display look for ibeji figures and gelede masks from the Yoruba people of Southern Nigeria. See if you can find the amazing power figures from the Kongo people of Cabinda (Angola) and the helmet masks from the Sande women's association of the Mende people in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
In the 'Cloth and Clothing' display there are large barkcloths, mainly from 20th century Fiji and early 19th century deerskin leggings, war shirts and dresses from the native North American Great Plains.
The 'Out of Clay' display shows dozens of ceramics from ancient Peru and central America next to pots from 19th and 20th century ceramic vessels from all over Africa. Beautifully designed pieces from China and Japan dating from the 17th to 20th centuries can be seen alongside work from European potters of the late 20th century, such as Bernard Leach and Katherine Heydell-Bouverie.
The 'Arms and Armour' display shows gruesome clubs, guns, shields and daggers from all round the world. Two Japanese Samurai suits of armour are accompanied by a range of beautiful swords that show the amazing skill and craftsmanship of the 19th and 20th century armourers of Japan.
You'll also find The Archery Display, where you can see longbows, crossbows, arrows and arrowheads and watch a film of a bow being made.