Exploring Panama's Prehistoric Past
odd: label: Local Number
content: HSFA 1991.16.6
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Stirling, Matthew Williams, 1896-1975
label: Collection Creator
content: Stewart, Richard H. (Richard Hewett), 1901-2004
setName: label: See more items in
content: Matthew Stirling collection
physdesc: label: Extent
content: Film reels (71 minutes, color silent; 2584 feet, 16mm)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1950
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Human Studies Film Archives
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Film reels
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Edited film documents a National Geographic Society/Smithsonian Institution expedition to Panama led by Stirling, director of the Bureau of American Ethnography. Film shows aspects of an expedition to Panama to excavate various sites of pre-historic people. Film includes shipboard activities on the way to Panama; various city, coastal, village, and countryside scenes; aerial views; field camps and life in camp including shower, cooking, and eating meal; excavation work including clearing land, digging trenches with pick axes, and unearthing pottery; transporting, cleaning, and packing pottery; examples of excavated pottery and jewelry; examples of local flora and fauna; local wedding and other celebrations including music and dancing; construction of local building with straw and clay mixture; local bullfight; and cross country travels by horse.