Tribal Spirits is no longer on display, please visit our exhibits page for a list exhibits currently on display

Miami, FL -- Some Museum exhibits teach, some delight, others shock, but how many "stir your heart?" That's the purpose of TRIBAL SPIRITS: Indians of the Americas, the new exhibit opening on Friday, May 22, 1998 at the Miami Museum of Science. Fifty realistic life-castings of Indians from throughout the Western Hemisphere, and particularly the Amazon rainforest, stand silent, but their powerful combined images bring the spirit of all Indians alive. More than sculptures, the life-sized figures are a moving example of the great diversity of native people who sit on the brink of extinction as the destruction of their homeland continues.

Since 1986, Peruvian sculptor Felipe Lettersten captured the Indians' essence by traveling down their river 'highways,' living in their houses, and watching the way they work and play. He wanted to teach the "civilized" world to respect the Indian culture by literally and figuratively placing their civilization on a pedestal. He needed the Indians to first buy into the concept. Initially, he made casts of himself to convince them that his art would not hurt. Slowly, the many tribes along the rivers tributaries agreed to have their images duplicated in plaster. He has now created 132 sculptures. From Amerakaeri, Arapajo and Arara to Wai Wai, Yagua, and Yanomami, each sculpture brings with it a distinct piece of that tribe's culture including ceremonial dress and jewelry worn, daily tasks performed, and emotions emitted. Lettersten worries that modern ways, economic greed, and environmental destruction are closing in quickly on the Indians. "I only hope that my sculptures will not become 'fossils' of people who, just yesterday, existed," he said. The Miami Museum of Science exhibit is also complimented by interactive CD-ROMs and actual artifacts along with videos to tell the full story of these tribes and the man who uses art to promote their continued existence.