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Post #4: Alabama Jackson and the Mackenzie Treasure
He
had finally found them, The Last Crystal Temple of the Ark…of India. (LCTA…I)
Their organization’s name had always struck Alabama Jackson (my Indiana Jones-esque alter ego) as vaguely familiar,
but he decided not to question it further lest he delve into the world of
copyright infringement. A bullet lodged itself into the tree near his head.
“Sweet
Roderick Mackenzie!”
Jackson darted from his hiding
place, annoyed at the persistence of his pursuers. Why did they have to try to kill
him? All he did was pry into the secrets of their organization, fly to the
backwoods of the Indian subcontinent, trek through the forest for three days,
raid their giant warehouse of Roderick Mackenzie artifacts and make off with
said artifacts in the dead of night. They were making a big deal out of
nothing.
As
their shouts grew louder, Jackson ran towards the water and hoped that Cheston,
museum attendant and trusty sidekick,
was finishing up. He doubted they had much time left. As he entered the
clearing surrounding the river’s bank, he saw him quickly loading the Mackenzie
artifacts into his boat. Their plan was a good one. Since the LCTA…I’s compound
was by the river, they could utilize that for their escape. While Jackson had
slogged through the dense forest for days, Cheston had quietly floated
downriver with a boat. Once he had gotten his hands on the artifacts, Jackson
had placed them safely on an inflatable raft and sent it downstream to where
Cheston waited to load them up. He would then distract the henchmen by leading
them through the forest to keep the heat off of Cheston while he got the raft.
After a set amount of time, he would make his way back to the river bank and
the two of them would return to Mobile and deliver the goods to Dr. Brooks and
the Museum.
And that is exactly (maybe?) how
the artifacts for the Ark of India Exhibit were procured.
I
might be embellishing just a bit, but that is precisely how I felt in
Collections these past two weeks. I worked
with historical
artifacts and that is enough to make every history geek feel like Indiana
Jones. My first day started with a tour of Collections by my new mentor Curator, Holly Jansen. The best part was the museum’s weapon
collection. They had swords, pole axes, guns and even Samurai armor. Suffice it
to say, I was in heaven. My time in Collections was spent writing condition
reports on the artifacts to be used in the India exhibit. For these reports, I examined the artifact for any markings, discoloration, damage, and other
issues that would affect the appearance and overall "health" of the artifact. (I
did a lot of these…)
I
practiced completing reports under the direction of Lori McDuffie, Museum Registrar, on
the crowns and scepters of the royalty of Mardi Gras past. This was really cool
to do because I got to look and handle artifacts that had such a deep tie to my
hometown of Mobile. (We did Mardi Gras first, people. Forget about New
Orleans.) These crowns were really impressive, though I will say checking to
make sure all of those rhinestones were secure got a bit taxing on the eyes.
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| Mardi Gras crowns and scepters from History Museum of Mobile collection |
After
I got my feet wet with those, I began to work on the India Artifacts. This was
pure awesomeness. There are different categories of artifacts, including:
Textiles, 2-D, and 3-D. I spent my time doing the 2-D and 3-D artifacts,
because the thought of touching hundred year old brittle fabrics makes me (and
probably the museum) a bit antsy. The 2-D artifacts included letters, paintings,
copper etchings, photographs, and glass slides. These pieces were beautiful. My
favorites were the glass slides taken by Mackenzie during his time in India.
(To help my wonderful readers envision the awesomeness of Collections, I’ve
taken pictures this time around.)
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| Various artifacts that will be in Ark of India exhibit. From History Museum of Mobile collection |
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| Roderick MacKenzie glass slide from History Museum of Mobile collection |
After
finishing the 2-D items (which took a very long time) I began to work with the
3-D artifacts. These items are more varied and included: 2 shields, a sword, a
dagger, a camera and its accessories, a projector, a 5 ft. tall hookah, and
large and ornate tray. These were the things that really made me feel like
Indiana Jones. One thing in particular proved to be the inspiration for my
Indiana Jones themed post: a Lingam Stone. It is a sacred stone
from the Narmada River in India. It is said to be an embodiment of Shiva. When
I first learned this, my mind immediately went to the Sankara Stones from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
(My thanks to Scott Corcoran, Collections Technician, for reminding me of what
those things were called.)
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| Various artifacts that will be in Ark of India exhibit. From History Museum of Mobile collection |
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| Lingam Stone from the Narmada River in India from History Museum of Mobile collection |
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| Ornate tray from History Museum of Mobile collection |
Another interesting artifact in the
India exhibit is a dagger called a Katar. It is no secret that I am a weapons
guy, and considering I’ve gushed about this thing to anyone at the museum who
has asked me about it, I don’t think it will be a surprise to anyone that it is
my favorite.( Just look at it and all of its glorious awesomeness!
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| Katar from History Museum of Mobile collection |
On
my last day in Collections, I helped Lori move the artifacts to the
exhibit hall so Jacob and Cheston (And me!) can begin to place them in the
display cases next week. It was a pleasure to be a part of this department for
two whole weeks and I enjoyed every minute of it. It has really made me
consider focusing on this aspect of museum work in the future. Because of that,
it was with excitement, a bit of sadness, and 156 condition reports behind me
that I left Collections to move onward to Exhibits.
So
with more to come,
Alabama
Jackson
(Seth Kinard)
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