Ceramic bowl, Mogollon-Mimbres, c. 1000–1150 C.E., ceramic and slip paints, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, anonymous gift 1988.99.FA
Did you know that there’s a lot more to turkeys than just a delicious Thanksgiving meal? Archaeologically speaking, we know that populations in the US Southwest have domesticated turkeys since around 600 C.E. That’s a long time before the early American settlers sat down to dine with the Wampanoag Indians! Turkeys were common animals around the household (move over Fido) and would feed on centipedes and millipedes like you see in the scene on the bowl above . . . yum. Turkeys appear to have been primarily kept for their feathers (not to hold stuffing), which were used to make feather blankets and may occasionally have been consumed.
Come to the DMA this Thanksgiving weekend to view this bowl and to go on a “hunt” for even more works that remind you of the holiday! We will be closed on Thursday, but stop by for a relaxing Black Friday. Gobble, gobble!
Julie Henley is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator at the DMA.
