Brigham Young University’s Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) will open a new exhibition; New Lives: Building Community at Fourmile Ruin on April 22, 2009. The exhibition explores the changes at Fourmile Ruin, an archaeological site in East-Central Arizona that allowed people from differing backgrounds to integrate into a single community. New Lives: Building Community at Fourmile Ruin is timely in this period of crisis as it explores ways that a people came out of hardship and created a strong community.
When a 25-year drought plagued the Southwest in the late A.D. 1200s, communities dependent on rain for farming were devastated. Many people abandoned their homes and moved south in search of a place with permanent water sources and regular rainfall. Fourmile Ruin’s location near a stream and in a region with more reliable rainfall made it very attractive to migrants. The people already living at Fourmile Ruin welcomed them in, and together they built up the community.
The migrants brought different traditions and ways of life with them, and all the people had to learn to live together. These migrants and the local population were able to forge a new identity for themselves, and they became the most important pueblo in the region.
The exhibition was developed by several BYU student co-curators under the direction of Paul Stavast, the MPC’s Interim Director. Most of the artifacts on display were generously donated to the MPC in 2006 by the Terrence and Jean Reidhead family.
“We’ve worked to make this exhibition more applicable to current issues,” said Rachel Harris, a student co-curator. “There are also more interactive features that will encourage visitors to become involved with the topics discussed.”
The Museum of Peoples and Cultures is located at 700 N. 100 E. in Provo.The MPC is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., MWF, and until 7 p.m. on TTh. Exhibitions are free for the public to enjoy. Themed tours and special activities are available for a small fee. For more information visit mpc.byu.edu
