My experience at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum

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INTRODUCTION Some say that it is better not to dwell on the past because it cannot be changed. To these people, it is not necessarily bad to reminisce on what has happened throughout the years, but it is better to focus on what is taking place right now. They believe that the present is another chance to start fresh and anew without letting past experiences burden them. However, what they do not seem to realize is that the past, present, and future are interrelated. The present is a result of the past, while the future depends entirely on the choices, (and course of action for those choices), that are made in the present. With that being said, studying humanity and past cultures are significant to society. Attempting to understand why these cultures acted the way they did can provide an explanation for how the past has influenced the human social life today. There are many ways to learn more about the past which includes research and taking academic classes. However, one of the best ways is by going to a museum because they are informative, provide a different learning environment that is not confined by the walls of a classroom, and have the ability to spark an unexpected interest that might have not been there before. The Riverside Metropolitan Museum located in Riverside, CA, is a perfect example which embodies these three elements. The beginnings of this museum began with the collection of Cornelius Earle Rumsey, a prominent member of the notable NABSICO food company (citation). His collection of Native American artifacts was donated to Riverside by his wife in 1924. The location of this establishment was originally in the basement of the old City Hall, but it was relocated to a former U.S. Post Office in 1948 (citation). ... ... middle of paper ... .... Ortiz, Alfonso 1983 Southwest, vol. 10. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Riverside Metropolitan Museum. Riverside Metropolitan Museum: Nature, Culture, History. Riverside, California: RMM, 2012. Round, Phillip H. 1997 “There was More to it, but that is all I can Remember”: The Persistence of History and the Autobiography of Delfina Cuero. American Indian Quarterly 21 (2): 171-193. http://search.proquest.com/docview/216854912?accountid=35812. Tamir, Orit 2000. Assessing the Success and Failure of Navajo Relocation. Human Organization 59 (2): 267-273. http://search.proquest.com/docview/201028028?accountid=35812. Underhill, Ruth M. 1971 The Navajos. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman. Weisiger, Marsha 2004. The Origins of Navajo Pastoralism. Journal of the Southwest 46 (2): 253-282. http://search.proquest.com/docview/210899331?accountid=35812.

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