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Museum of Anthropology (Visit this link)
In 1922, the Museum of Anthropology was created as a division of the Museum
of Zoology and it became independent in 1928. Dr. Alexander Ruthven, who later
became President of the University of Michigan, led the effort to create the
Museum. He hired Dr. Carl E. Guthe to become the first director and he held the
position from 1922-1944. It was during his tenure that the Museum’s
organization, much of its research orientation to involve undergraduate and
graduate students, and collection philosophy were crystallized. The Museum under
Guthe conducted archaeology and ethnology in the Great Lakes, North America, and
the Philippine Islands. Guthe was succeeded by Dr. James B. Griffin, who was
director from 1946-1975, and he expanded the focus of the Museum to include
archaeological projects outside the United States. He added curators in Latin
America, the Near East, Europe, Environmental Archaeology, and Human Osteology.
After 1975 a series of directors added curators in Lowland Latin America, West
Africa, and Geoarchaeology.
The Museum’s collections began in the 19th century. The earliest were a series
of gifts from the Smithsonian Institution. These included objects from the
Wilkes Expedition to the Pacific in 1838-1842 and the Stevenson Expedition to
the Southwest. The beginning of active collecting by Michigan affiliated
collectors was Joseph Beal Steere’s 19th century trips to the Amazon, the Andes,
Pacific Rimand Southeast Asia. His Philippine Islands expedition began a
tradition of research in Asia that included Guthe’s archaeological survey and
expeditions from 1922-1925. The collection of important artifacts and ceramics
from China started with a Chinese Government gift from the Cotton Exposition in
New Orleans in 1884 to President Angell followed by major gifts of personal
collections. The Museum now has over 3 million accessioned objects, and most of
the recent additions to the collection have been provided by the generous
donations of private citizens and field research undertaken by Museum curators
and students.
The Museum has several analytical laboratories and special research facilities.
The Ethnobotanical Laboratory, Archaeological Zoology Laboratory, Analytical
Collections in Geology, and Latin American Ethnohistory Library provide major
resources for use by students and researchers.
The Museum, in association with the Department of Anthropology, operates the top
ranked graduate program in anthropological archaeology in the United States.
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/umma