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Museum of Peoples and Cultures
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Culture Cases
Tours and Field Trips
NACI Lesson Plans
Culture Case Web Banner

Culture Cases

Available to borrow at no cost. Each case includes artifact replicas, a guidebook with cultural background information and suggested activities, and other books, objects, and posters to use in your classroom.

Contact our Education Office at 801-422-0022 or mpc_programs@byu.edu for availability and to place a reservation. See below for details.


  • This case has objects from Native American tribes such as the Fremont, Shoshone, and Ute, including things like a cradleboard, pottery, jewelry, and clothing. *Pair this case with a field trip to see the museum's exhibit on Utah Valley.

  • The American Southwest covers present-day Arizona and New Mexico, as well as regions of Utah, Colorado, Texas, California, and Mexico. This case includes objects like projectile points (arrowheads), baskets, and pottery from tribes such as Ancestral Puebloan (formerly Anasazi), Navajo/Dine, Hohokam, Hopi, and Zuni.

  • Polynesia is comprised of many different islands, including, Samoa, Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, and Hawaii. The objects in this case include a tapa cloth, conch shells, poi balls, and various musical instruments from these beautiful islands.

  • Mesoamerica is a region extending south and east from central Mexico including parts of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This case features objects from the Maya and the Aztec civilizations, such as beautifully woven textiles, a metate for grinding corn, and projectile points (arrowheads).

  • Ancient Egypt is the north-eastern part of Africa. This case includes objects such as papyrus, a replica of the Rosetta Stone, and Egyptian funerary goods.

  • Ouelessebougou is a town located in the West African country of Mali. This culture case was made by the Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance, and features instruments, jewelry, soap, and more!

  • Ancient Greece and Rome are in the Mediterranean and are the base of western civilization. This case includes a Roman oil lamp, Greek playing marbles, coins, tiles, and more.

  • The Andes were home to many of the greatest civilizations in the Americas, including the Inca. The objects in this case include llama wool, clay dishes, and ceremonial objects figurines.

  • Utah Lake has been a hub for human activity for over 20,000 years. This case will help you learn more about the peoples who have lived around Utah Lake in the past, and how they used the lake’s resources and even changed its makeup.

One week is the standard length of a loan, but when you contact the Education Office to make a reservation, we will adjust as needed and confirm the dates with you. You may pick up/drop off your reserved case at the front desk during our hours of 9-5 on the day of. A museum employee will verify your reservation, then have you sign an agreement to assume responsibility for the case and its contents.
Please note the museum closes at 5:00pm.

Request a Tour or Field Trip

To schedule your group, get in touch with us! Reach out by calling our office at 801-422-0022 or send an email to mpc_programs@byu.edu. When you contact us, please provide the following information:

  • The age(s) or grade(s) of your students
  • The total number of adults and children (an estimate is perfectly fine)
  • Any specific expectations or preferences you might have. For instance, do you have a particular exhibit or topic in mind that you'd like us to focus on, or perhaps an activity you'd like us to prepare for your group?

Please note that accommodating large groups all at once can be a challenge. We recommend the option of dividing your group, be it by class, grade, or chaperone, and taking turns to visit the other fantastic BYU museums. This approach allows you to explore multiple museums on campus during a single field trip to Provo. Feel free to consider reaching out to the Paleontology (Dinosaur) Museum, Bean Life Science Museum, and the Museum of Art to form a plan and make the most of your visit!

A field trip group in the Maya Weaving exhibit, 2021

Native American Curriculum Initiative Lessons

BYU Arts Partnership has crafted a series of lesson plans as part of their Native American Curriculum Initiative (NACI). This initiative is to "amplify native voices in the classroom, building bridges between Native and educational communities."

These lesson plans are readily accessible and free to download! At the museum, we even offer material needed for a few of the lessons. Contact us to check out this material just like you would reserve a Culture Case. Click on the "Culture Cases" tab at the left of this webpage to learn more about the borrowing process.

Here are the NACI lesson plans we currently loan material for:

Coyote Steals Fire Creative Movement (includes a lesson plan, book, and 37 red/orange/yellow scarves)
The Greedy Porcupine Reader's Theatre (includes a lesson plan, instruments, and 8 script booklets)