The mission of the McClung Museum is to advance understanding and appreciation of the earth and its peoples through the collection, preservation, study, interpretation, and exhibition of objects and data. As a part of the University of Tennessee, the museum works to support academic programs and provide educational programming.
The museum also participates in implementing the university’s central mission: to cultivate and enrich the human mind and spirit through teaching, scholarship, artistic creation, public service, and professional practice.
More information can be found about the McClung Museum here.
For more materials related to this topic, please contact Katy Malone, McClung Museum’s Manager of Education and Community Engagement, at kmalon15@utk.edu.
“1918 wheat crop” says “Hold the fort for I am coming!” An ear of corn mans the trench of democracy shooting at the wolf of hunger. On the back are small wartime articles. This cartoon from 1918 shows us the food security problems that wars cause.
Basket
Brazil/ Baniwa Culture
Bamboo fibers | dye
c. 1968
Handmade basket with a round rim and square bottom and sides. Made from bamboo, vines, and natural dyes. Many Brazilian and Venezuelan Indigenous groups like Baniwa living along the Orinoco and Rio Negro Amazon regions make baskets. Bamboo baskets are not only sold to tourists, but are used in food preparation and gathering.
For indigenous cultures located in north Brazil, food and nutritional security is associated with: plantations of foods traditionally considered “strong” – banana, corn, beans – and “sacred” – such as cassava; regular consumption of traditional cuisine with ingredients from the territory and obtained through hunting, fishing and harvesting; conservation of traditional knowledge; and obtaining food loans between relatives, in a context of reciprocal relationships.
Pedestal Basket
Sudan/Khartoum
Palm leaves | dye
c. 1930
Round pedestal basket or tray of date palm leaves with a flared foot, colored in green, purple, and light purple. Sudan, Africa.
This basket is made with palm leaves, a traditional material of Northern Africa for its abundance and versatility. The use of color is characteristic with baskets not only from Sudan, but surrounding countries within the horn of Africa as well. Baskets like this are typically utilitarian, used for holding fruit or other foods. Sometimes, they are also used as food covers to keep pests away, however the shape of this one indicates it is designed for containment.
Food bowl
Papua New Guinea/East Sepik
Carved wood
Before 1964
Food bowl, oval-shaped with a small projection along the bottom of one end. Made from a single piece of dark-colored wood.
Overall, food security is high in Papua New Guinea as most rural people have access to land and can grow most of their food requirements. The food security situation is considerably better in PNG now than it was before the Pacific war.
