Vogels donate items to Maxwell

By Sandra Culburn

Drs. Albert and Kathryn Vogel have donated items from their personal collection to the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology.

	Items the Vogels donated to the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology include two wooden masks and several baskets and trays woven from grass or willow root. The artifacts had been on display in the Vogel home for more than 30 years. Photos by Brian Lucero.

The Vogels acquired the Eskimo and Athasbascan artifacts during the two years they resided in a small town on the Alaskan Tundra.

“Among the most striking items are two wooden masks carved by an elderly Athasbascan man,” said Kathryn, chair of the UNM Biology Department.

“He told wonderful stories about the whistle man depicted in one of these masks.”

Albert worked as a general health physician in the Public Health Service. The hospital, located in Bethel, Alaska, served people living in the Kuskokwim and lower Yukon rivers. Every year, doctors would make special trips to the villages. The Vogels bought the donated items from artists who lived there.

Among the items are several baskets and trays woven from grass or willow root. They are of great sentimental value to the Vogels and have been on display in their home for more than 30 years.

When the Vogels decided to move into a smaller home they contacted the Maxwell Museum about adding the items to the permanent collection.

The Maxwell has been involved with research on Alaskan cultures and has an extensive collection of ethnological and photographic archives from the region.

The items donated reflect the tradition of the makers themselves.

“These gifts will help us with research, teaching and public interest,” said Garth Bawden, museum director. We are thrilled to receive these gifts as they will enhance our strengths.”

“I hope others will enjoy them as much as we have,” Kathryn said. “It was strange to see the masks in a case in the museum for the first time. Whistle Man has been a member of our family for a long time and my first reaction was that I wanted to open the case and set him free.”

For more information, contact the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology at 277-4405.