Research & Collections
Welcome to the exciting realm of Artifacts, Archaeology, and Anthropology!
The Research and Collections Department is the very core of the IAIS museum, which had its beginnings in local archaeological research and preservation.
The Research and Collections Department manages the museum’s material culture collections, which include some 6,000 ethnographic (post-European contact) items and over 300,000 archaeological artifacts. These cultural remains represent hundreds of Native American societies throughout the western Hemisphere. They range in age from over 12,000 years to the 21st century.
The artifacts we discover and curate enhance IAIS’s exhibits and are the basis for our many presentations and publications on Native American histories and cultures. The Research and Collections Department collaborates with the Education Department to produce engaging public exhibits, workshops, and publications that inform the public of the diversity, complexity and sophistication of indigenous cultures.
Check out our archaeology website, Digging into the PastOpens in a new window, for information on Connecticut’s archaeological sites and educational resources.
This Same, Same Sad Tale of Love –
Lover’s Leap Interactive Map
The initial goal of the our exhibit Tales of a Forgotten Day: Myth and Memory at Lovers Leap was to separate fact from fiction, and to decolonize the place-lore associated with locations called ‘Lovers Leap’ in Southern New England. What came out of our research for this exhibition was a wider study of these toponyms and realization that we needed to continue the story.
This interactive map represents the toponyms associated with “Lovers Leap” and the stories that are associated with each location.
Do you know of a Lovers Leap that is not shown on this map? Send the name and location to us and we will look into it. Send your leaps to [email protected]
Get Involved
Check out of volunteer page for more information on how to get involved!