Museum of Natural and Cultural History
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Museum of Natural and Cultural History
@uomnch.bsky.social
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Oregon's science and culture museum. Located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon. State repository for archaeological and paleontological artifacts.
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The museum is closed Thursday, November 27 for Thanksgiving, but remember: birds are dinosaurs. Eating poultry? You're definitely eating a dinosaur.

We'll reopen for our normal hours Friday, November 28. Come by and check out our dinosaur skeleton*. 🏛️ 🧪

*It's a chicken skeleton.
A cartoon photo frame surrounding an illustration of a turkey and a t-rex, colored in similar orange and reds. Above the two fierce beasts is a green banner reading "family - familia". There's text above the turkey reading "Gobble?"
November 26, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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"We are here today and we are in community with you, together. Ride with us, with Shimkhin and White Cindy, with past and future ancestors, and with your relatives today, and ask yourself: what does a future look like with us in it?" `-intro panel of exhibit "Transgressors".
#TransDayOfRemembrance
One end of the exhibit "Transgressors" installed in the museum's galleria, a tall space with exposed wooden a-frame beams. There's a projection screen showing Jeffrey Gibson's video "To Feel Myself Beloved on the Earth, 2020."  Underneath the screen is a banner by Steph Littlebird reading "Two Spirit Identities Predate Colonial Ideologies." The rest of the space is filled by four fabric pillars with artist headshots and biographies.  Two colorful, glowing lightboxes showing "Shimkhin" and "White Cindy." by Steph Littlebird. Two University of Oregon students are looking at the panels. Two students are silhouetted against a brilliant glowing light box showcasing Steph Littlebird's "White Cindy." The light box is an illustrated image of a woman riding a horse. She is surrounded by thunder and lightning, wearing a white dress with rainbow ribbons that stream out behind her dramatically.
November 20, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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From shells to crypto, Indigenous currencies have always been more than a form of money. Join Dr. Ashley Cordes of the @uoregon.bsky.social this Thursday, November 13th for a talk on Indigenous currencies in the digital age. 🏛️#econsky
November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM
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Happy Halloween from the MNCH staff! 🏛️🏺🧪
A group photo of 10 museum staff in front of the giant sloth skeleton in the museum. They are dressed as Lisa Frank, Ted Lasso, the Queen of Hearts, a coprolite, a cat, "generally spooky," work werewolf, the Louvre robbers, and a coloring page.  A museum staff member is dressed as a minion from Despicable Me and points at the door.  Three archaeologists pose. The one dressed as Wednesday is grimly looking at the camera, the other two (dressed as a skeleton and a stratigraphy section) grin at the camera.  Zara, the most perfect golden retriever to ever live, poses adorably looking at the camera while her human holds two bighorn sheep horns to her head. She is a sheepdog. 
October 31, 2025 at 10:39 PM
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Next week, we're hosting Dr. David Martínez, director of the Institute for Transborder Indigenous Nations at @arizonastateuni.bsky.social! Check out this video for a preview of what he'll be speaking about. 🏛️
October 29, 2025 at 11:05 PM
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Hey, Oregon K12 folks! We're partnering with Oregon Historical Society to host the Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk. This trunk is packed full of hands-on activities & lessons and can be rented from us for up to two weeks by schools and other institutions. tinyurl.com/2pu6379w
The Chinese Disapora in Oregon traveling trunk, which is a medium sized black Pelican case, in front of the museum's front desk. The case is open and visible inside it are colorful objects.   A collection of objects from the Chinese Diaspora in Oregon traveling trunk. Visible are books with colorful covers, an abacus, a woven basket, and a can of salmon.
October 27, 2025 at 8:52 PM
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New arrival to our lobby case!

Yoruba kings, known as "Obas," wear these intricate crowns as a symbol of their authority. These crowns can only be worn by those who trace their ancestry to Odùduwà, the legendary founder of the Yoruba kingdom. The beaded birds and faces are common features.
Two 18 inch tall hats fully covered in beads. The one on the left is mostly green with vibrant red geometric shapes. One beaded bird tops the crown and six others, attached throughout the hat, is visible. The one on the right is mostly gray, with green and dark blue geometric shapes. This crown has more visible beaded birds with wings of many different colors. Also visible is a face, with blue eyes and nose and a multicolored mouth.  A different angle of the two crowns. The two beaded birds that top the headwear are more visible in this photo, displaying that the beaks are two separate pieces and there are strings of beads draping elegantly down from the top of the crowns. 
October 24, 2025 at 6:51 PM
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How do you move a bunch of dishes that are already broken? Very carefully, so they don't break more!

Our archaeologists just moved offices, and with that came moving our historic comparative collection of glass bottles and ceramic vessels, which help us identify broken pieces we find at sites.🏺🧪
Archaeologist Marlene grins and holds a broken glass liquor bottle from a site in Portland. The brown black vessel is about 10" tall and is clearly pieced together, with glued seams and jagged edges. Part of our comparative collection! These metal shelves of glassware parts help archaeologists learn more about pieces found in the field. The shelves are full of neat trays of broken but carefully labelled glass pieces, ranging from large necks of bottles to small shards of dishes. Hands hold a broken piece of brown glass about 2 inches long. On the glass is visible an intact oval with text stamped in the middle. A stamped seal on a glass bottle can reveal all kinds of information, including manufacturer, date, and what the bottle might have been used for.
October 20, 2025 at 8:46 PM
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Happy National Fossil Day! How much cronch is in these leaves?

These fossil leaves are from the John Day Formation and are an early species of alder.
A brown-red slab of rock with four impressions of oblong leaves. The stems and veins are very clearly preserved. A brown-red slab of rock with two impressions of oblong leaves. In one of them, small circles (mostly likely galls) are visible between the clear lines of the veins.
October 15, 2025 at 10:22 PM
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Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day at @uoregon.bsky.social! The Native American Student Union will hold a flag-raising ceremony at noon, we're open and free, and the art museum is open and free with a James Lavadour exhibit. Banner by @stephlittlebird.bsky.social. #indigenousart
A vertical banner hangs in the portico at the entrance to the museum courtyard. It has a gradient of blue sky to green rolling hills to sunset colors. A black, yellow, and orange sun looks down on the whimsical letters spelling out "You are on Native Land."
October 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
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Wasco weaver Pat Courtney Gold crafted this sally bag, named "Honor the Frog." Sally bags are a unique example of Columbia Plateau weaving, traditionally used to carry and store foods and medicines. See our online gallery for more sally bags! mnch.uoregon.edu/coll.../plat... #indigenousart
A 7.5" long woven cylindrical bag is tied via woven cord to a woven bag about half the size. The body of the larger bag is light beige, with a brown woven outline of a frog featured. On the smaller bag, the same outline of a frog is visible as well as the edges of another one.
September 26, 2025 at 9:16 AM
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Took a trip over to our fossil vaults today and thought you all might appreciate this label for our teaching collection cabinets...#paleosky #fossilfriday
A piece of white paper is taped to a cabinet. It reads 'A collection of calcium carbonate casts or a posse of plastic paraphernalia or a frenzied fiberglass free-for-all or a vast vinyl volume or a roomful of rubberized relics or Simply a whole lotta casts that need to be put away."
September 19, 2025 at 11:25 PM
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Join our executive director @tbraje.bsky.social for this virtual talk with Ventura County Archaeological Society! Email [email protected] for the Zoom link. 🏺
Text reading "Ventura County Archaeological Society, September 9th 2025, 7pm Zoom meeting. Dr Todd Braje Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archaeology and Human History inform a Sustainable Future." Email us at vcas.arch@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
September 8, 2025 at 11:36 PM
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"No matter who you are, this work is for you."

Transgressors presents now and future Indigiqueer ancestors who move beyond boundaries in life and art. The work of 10 artists. curated by Anthony Hudson and Felix Furby, is on view at the museum until January 4, 2026. #IndigenousArt
Two students are silhouetted against a brilliant glowing light box in Transgressors, an exhibit at the University of Oregon that examines Indigenous Queer identity. The light box is an illustrated image of a woman riding a horse. She is surrounded by thunder and lightning, wearing a white dress with rainbow ribbons that stream out behind her dramatically.
September 8, 2025 at 4:41 PM
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This enamelware coffee pot is from the historic site of the Corvallis, Oregon city dump (used 1910-1913). It's made from iron sheet metal and covered in a ceramic enamel layer; this method of manufacturing was at its peak popularity in the United States from 1880 to 1930.🏺 ☕
Museum archaeologist Marlene holds the artifact in her hands and smiles at it. The coffee pot is about 6" in diameter. The bottom is intact, showing blue speckled enamelware; about halfway up the coffee pot the metal is crushed and rusted beyond recognition. A blue enamelware pot sitting in a white photography box. The coffee pot is about 6" in diameter at its widest. The bottom is intact, showing blue speckled enamelware; about halfway up the coffee pot the metal is crushed and rusted beyond recognition as a pot. A blue enamelware pot laying horizontally in a white photography box. The coffee pot is about 6" in diameter at its widest. The bottom is intact, showing blue speckled enamelware; about halfway up the coffee pot the metal is crushed and rusted beyond recognition as a pot.
September 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
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It's #nationaldogday and we're celebrating Ruthie, this summer's Applegate House Field School Site Supervisor. Ruthie oversaw team morale, secured the site from intruders (primarily deer and squirrels), and inspected the archaeology crew's work. Thanks for a great field school, Ruthie! 🏺
A beige lab/pittie mix stands in a field in front of pop up tents at the University of Oregon archaeology field school. Her ears are perked all the way up and her tongue is sticking out. A beige lab/pittie mix sits in front of archaeology equipment. She grins widely at the camera.
August 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
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Oregon—Where Past is Present shares 14,000 years of Oregon stories. Come visit the museum and delve into Oregon’s past, from the archaeology of the First Americans to the dynamic cultures of today’s Tribes.
A person reads a panel in the museum at the University of Oregon. They are in front of a large panel decorated like rock and titled "Layers of Time"
August 20, 2025 at 8:01 AM
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It's the peak of the Perseids and we're welcoming some new stars to our Oregon Stories case! This case features objects from contemporary Oregonians their own words telling their stories.
An exhibit case with a panel in the center reading "Our Oregon Stories." One half of the case is filled with stories and objects from Scott Fisher; the other half is filled with stories and objects from Kenya Márquez.
August 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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This weekend, we're hosting family-friendly activities that explore how archaeology works. Look at the outfit our student employees made for Mylo, our plushie ground sloth that sits at our front desk 🥹🦥🏺
Mylo the stuffed ground sloth wears a beige safari-style hat made out of paper and carries a paper trowel
August 7, 2025 at 10:53 PM
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Chinese immigrants were among the earliest non-Indigenous communities to settle in Oregon. Our exhibit Roots and Resilience explores the intense discrimination they faced, and their perseverance in shaping Oregon's diverse industries, business, and communities.
A woman reads a panel with the titles "Struggle...and Resilience" and a timeline visible at the bottom. It's in the exhibit Roots and Resilience, Chinese American Heritage in Oregon at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on the University of Oregon campus.
August 4, 2025 at 6:15 PM
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One month left of our traveling library program!

The whole family will enjoy exploring the environment, designing solutions, and imagining a brighter future for the Earth. #scienceeducation

In Oregon? View the map to see when we're stopping near you: maphub.net/MNCH_UO/mnch...
Museum educator Rowan and a child look together at a map activity labelled "One Big Ocean" A map of Oregon with dots showing the library programs sprinkled across the state. 
July 30, 2025 at 11:58 PM
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Insects and bugs are critical to a healthy environment! We love seeing them in our Native Plants Courtyard.

Got a kiddo who loves bugs? We've got bug-themed activities in our courtyard for the next two Fridays and Saturdays in #EugeneOregon. 🐝🐜🌞
An orange and yellow bee on a light pink Nootka rose flower. A dragonfly with delicate black wings is resting on a large, bright green Twinberry leaf. An iridescent green-bodied fly sits on a veiny milkweed leaf.
July 23, 2025 at 7:04 PM
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This photo has 5 generations of UO archaeological field school students! Students from 2011, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2023 worked on a survey project in northern Nevada, led by Geoffrey Smith (University of Nevada-Reno) and Aiden Hlebechuk (MNCH field school and archaeological research division alum).
Five grinning archaeologists in the scrubby Great Basin.
July 22, 2025 at 9:16 AM
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Our Indigenous Archaeology Field Methods field school is wrapping up!

13 students have spent the last four weeks in coastal California, conducting collaborative archaeology with members of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Stay tuned for more about what they've been doing. 🏺🧪🏛️
A young person is centered on a dry scrubby landscape with a brilliant blue sky behind them. They're wearing safety glasses and holding an axe, mid chop. A small (2 inches across) bleached animal skull sitting on a human palm. Three young people grouped around archaeology equipment in a scrubby landscape.
July 17, 2025 at 9:53 PM
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The Oregon Folklife Network hosts live demonstrations of Oregon's living traditions at the museum in July! Culture bearers from a wide variety of backgrounds will provide insider knowledge about their traditional artforms -- if you're in the area, come hang out with us this summer. 🏛️
A blue background with text reading "Oregon Culture Nights" and then a list of each performance, each on a Thursday at 6:00p.m. July 10: Traditional Irish Gaelic Singing with Brian O hAirt. July 17: Nattuvangam in Classical South Indian Dance with Sweta Ravisankar and apprentice. July 24: Carnatic (Indian Classical) Singing with Smitha Chakravarthy and apprentice. July 31: Palestinian Embroidery with Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim and apprentice.
July 7, 2025 at 10:40 PM