Ethnographic and Archaeological Collections

Collections Directory

The Luther College Anthropology Program manages three collections of material culture: archaeological, ethnographic, and numismatic. The ethnographic collections are comprised of over 1,000 objects collected from around the world. Our archaeological collections primarily focused on the prehistoric and historic peoples of Northeast Iowa, details over 8,000 years of human history in the Upper Midwest. Finally, the numismatic collection consists of an assortment of coins and notes from around the globe. Luther's Ethnographic and Archaeological collections contain a wealth of cultural and historical information that can be used in numerous ways to educate as well as fascinate those who would otherwise not have a chance to experience and appreciate such diverse cultures.

The Archaeological and Ethnographic collections are supported in part by an endowed fund established for the purpose of managing and maintaining a material culture resource in perpetuity. The management and preservation of our collections is intended to provide the Luther College faculty, students, and outside professionals with a useful resource for scholarly research. The collections are also made available to surrounding communities to be used in outreach programs, exhibits, and other educational forums to facilitate appreciation and understanding of Iowa's and the world's rich heritage. The collections are administered by faculty member and director Dr. Colin Betts., and managed by the laboratory and collections manager Chad Landsman.

The archaeological collections consist of over 500,000 prehistoric and historic artifacts from approximately 400 Native American and Euro-American sites in Iowa, the Upper Midwest, and from pre-Columbian sites in Panama. The bulk of our collection was generated through archaeological field schools, independentresearch, and CRM contracts directed by Luther College faculty andstaff. While the archaeological collections represent the full range of human occupation in Iowa, Oneota and Woodland Tradition materials are the most prevalent. The nucleus of the collection consists of an extensive assemblage of materials collected by late Decorah resident Gavin Sampson. The Sampson Collection, collected from over 130 sites in Northeast Iowa and hundreds of locations across the Midwest, is considered one of the premier research collections in Iowa. Other smaller private collections in the Luther College holdings, such as the H. P. Field and Robert Stoddard Collections, also constitute important resources for the study of local archaeology.

The Ethnographic Collection is comprised of over 1,000 objects, representing people and cultures from around the world. The collection has grown over the last one hundred years by the donation of objects collected by Luther Alumni and faculty, as well as family and friends of the college and Decorah area residents. Objects in the collection represent every continent on the globe with the exception of Antarctica. Other countries represented in our collections include: China, France, Holland, Japan, Turkey, Norway, Nepal, Madagascar, Peru, and Australia. The largest portion of our Ethnographic Collections was compiled by two individuals who performed missionary work among indigenous people in Alaska and South Africa, Reverend Tollef Brevig and Hanna Astrup Larsen, respectively. Their stories illustrate the rich history associated with our collections.