General Information

The Museum of Anthropology maintains a number of databases containing information on the Museum's collections. These databases are available online for educational and research purposes. Information in the Museum of Anthropology collection databases may be used by individuals or groups for education and research, but may not be repackaged, resold, or redistributed in any form without the written consent of the University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology.

DISCLAIMER

The Museum of Anthropology collects, preserves, and makes accessible archaeological, ethnographic, and archival collections. Some of the materials and language tied to these collections may reflect outdated, biased, offensive, and possibly violent views, events, practices, and opinions. We retain these materials unaltered in our collections to document their historical relevance and to fully represent materials in context. We do not endorse these viewpoints.

If you encounter language that you find offensive or harmful, we value your feedback. We are committed to working with staff, communities, and peer institutions to assess and update descriptions that are harmful and to establish standards and policies to prevent future harmful language in our databases and exhibits as appropriate and feasible.

We are committed to combating institutionalized racism by examining our own practices continually. We endeavor to ensure that marginalized peoples are appropriately represented, and their material culture properly cared for at the Museum of Anthropology.

We believe that the histories of Indigenous, Black, and People of Color are essential to our understanding of humanity. We recognize that traditionally museums have been a place of harm for members of these communities and that our collections contribute to an institutional legacy of collecting bias and using non-indigenous language to describe cultural objects. We also acknowledge the structural issues that perpetuate systemic discrimination and cultural bias. We are actively working to address this legacy.

Tips for Using the Museum Databases

• Choose your database.
• Sign in as a “Guest” (found in small type underneath the white boxes). The database will open to the first entry.

There are two ways to search the databases.

• Enter a keyword into the Quick Find search bar and hit "enter/return" key. The directional arrows in the top left corner will navigate you through the entries. 
• For advanced searches, click on the magnifying glass icon and choose "Enter Find Mode." Once find mode opens type your search keywords into one or more fields. Click "Perform" in the status area at top of screen.
• Use the directional arrows in the top left side of the status area to move from one record to another.
• Click on the magnifying glass icon (”Find”) to return to find mode and perform additional searches.
• When finished working with a database, please be sure to click the "Log Out" button in the status area to close your session.

Accuracy and Updates

Although we make every attempt to provide reliable identification and descriptions of collections in our databases, they are being revised and added to on a daily basis.  The Web versions of our databases are updated regularly to provide users with the most current data available.

For additional assistance, contact the Museum at:  anthromuseum@missouri.edu.