Anthropology at Home: South Asia Series

The South Asia Center is excited to launch the Anthropology at Home: South Asia Series with the Penn Museum. SAC Teaching Artists in Residence, Krishnapriya CP and Narendran Kumar from Chennai India, created a series of Anthropology at Home lesson plans for remote learning. Check out these fantastic step by step manuals which use arts and crafts to teach about South Asian culture and history. These lessons can be used by all ages but are geared towards elementary school learners.

Make a South Asia Statuette  Statuettes are small sculptures made out of many types of material including bronze, jade, stone, brass and wood. They are popularly used for worship as religious symbols in many South Asian cultures but that’s not all! Try making a statuette by using this lesson plan. What would your statuette look like?

Coil Pottery

Coil pottery is one of the earliest techniques for making pots from clay. Many ancient civilizations and cultures, including those in South Asia, have made coil pottery of all sizes for storage and everyday use. Anthropologists use ancient pottery to learn more about the people and cultures of the past. Try your hand at making a coil pot!

Drawing a Map

Maps are drawings of places. They share with us important information about the world around us including locations, landmarks, distances and directions. Using a colonial map from Chennai India as an example learn to map the world around you!

Performance Masks from South Asia 

In South Asia cultural performances with dancers wearing masks are very popular. Typically these brightly colored masks are made from wood. Masked dance performances are part of important rituals found in Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Through this lesson plan, try making your own mask.