Disappearing Dioramas

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The faces of the doll-like figures often express an emotion; there's a story unfolding, and your imagination supplies what will happen next. It's common to see young children settle in and spend time with an individual diorama, taking in each tiny detail: the hundreds of miniature corn husks, the perfectly scaled dogs and a pony.

In museum parlance, the duration of viewer engagement with an exhibit is called "dwell time." Like "hang time" with a football punt, it's desirable. Fifty years after they were made, these exhibits elicit plenty of "dwell time," particularly with children.

It's easy to see why the tiny people with their tiny dwellings and tools have fascinated generations of schoolchildren. Combined with skillfully painted backgrounds, the dioramas give an illusion of being in another time and place.

In recent years, however, many Native Americans have been telling museum officials that other, more damaging illusions are created in the minds of diorama viewers. On September 12, the dioramas are scheduled to begin a transition that will culminate with their removal in January.