The Digital Historian
The cover of the print version features an image of a wooden hat representing an orca, crafted in 1900 in Angoon, Alaska and reproduced as an interactive model by the Smithsonian X 3D project. The hat belongs to the Tlingit Dakl’weidi (Killer Whale) clan, and the National Museum of Natural History returned it in 2005, retaining a 3-D digital copy online and a wooden reproduction derived from the digital model.
According to the Smithsonian, "This project shows we can return culturally sensitive objects so they can be used in ceremony while retaining exact replicas to teach about their cultural significance-and the importance of repatriation."
Learn more in this issue and at 3d.si.edu. Images courtesy of Smithsonian Digitization Program Office.
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