Blade 

Editor: Here we have “Blade,” an ancient carving of unknown date attributed to the Indigenous Americas. It is currently held at The Met. The smooth, dark stone has an almost ominous feel. What stories do you think this artifact holds? Curator: It's striking how this simple, functional object transcends its utility, isn’t it? I see in this blade not just a tool, but a reflection of power dynamics and gender roles within its culture. Consider who might have crafted it, who wielded it, and against whom or what. Were blades reserved for male hunters and warriors, thus symbolizing a specific type of masculine power? Or did women also utilize them? Editor: That's a fascinating angle! I hadn't considered the potential social stratification. Do you see connections to broader indigenous cosmologies here? Curator: Absolutely. We can examine the material itself, this dark stone, and its relationship to the earth, to ancestors, to concepts of life and death. Is there evidence, perhaps through ethnographic studies, that obsidian or similar materials held symbolic significance in Mesoamerican or other indigenous American cultures? Could the blade's shape and design relate to cosmological symbols? Or serve a ceremonial function linked to sacrifice, offering or renewal? Editor: It’s humbling to think about the depth of knowledge embedded in an object we might initially see as merely practical. Curator: Indeed. It calls us to question the artificial separation between art and craft, sacred and secular. Considering that gender and the cosmological intersects in a society of the past, is this an artistic creation or not? And what meanings are revealed as the artifact sits behind museum glass today? Editor: I’ll certainly be thinking about power and gender as it relates to objects as I explore these galleries. Thanks for illuminating such an important aspect. Curator: The pleasure is all mine!