State

D I AMO N D IN To a desert dweller from the Southwest. the extraordinary sight of water everywhere is discombobulating enough, but the real¬ ization — however Heeling — that one is traveling on a narrow shelf of land, known as a barrier island, jutting out o! the Atlantic Ocean is even more unnerving. Driving south along the Outer Ranks Iron) Nags Head and Manleo, these emotions rapidly deteriorate into but¬ ter Hies in the belly so that, by the time Buxton looms, it's time to take a wel¬ come break from the road. In a restau¬ rant that serves magnificent onion soup, friendly folks direct us just a few miles farther along to our destination — the Frisco Native American Muse¬ um. It is exciting to lx* so close and to anticipate that, after a tiring 2.000-mile nip. what you find here is unique and of inestimable historical value. Joyce and Carl Romfriend's museum is unlike any otltei . For openers, theit collection of Native American treasures is housed in a modest, unassuming wooden building. Kxercise caution in finding this place, please. Fast drivers might pass right by it along the side of N.C. 12 next to the Frisco Post Office. Those who see the sign, however, and stop and enter the museum are imme¬ diately swept back into a world that existed long before the white man set foot on any inch of the continent. Out in the open and safely behind glass, and in a climate-controlled envi¬ ronment. thousands of Native Ameri¬ can artifacts have been thoughtfully posed and arranged. Over a period of 50 years, Carl and Joyce have, individu- allv and collectively, gathered an enor¬ mous variety of objects representing tribes from all over the nation. The price of admission? Free. “We want others to appreciate these things and learn from them the way we have. If we charged people to see what BY H . HENRIETTA STOCKEL wo have collected, they might not come," Carl says, After a few moments with Carl, one learns that behind the museum there's a self-guided nature trail winding through a maritime forest past a beau¬ tiful waterbird pond. Expertly devel¬ oped and clearlv marked exhibits along the trail denote the many species of ( )utcr Banks vegetation and wildlife in Appearances can be deceiving with the Frisco Native American Museum. fls m the area around Frisco. This presen¬ tation of the natural environment sc* impressed government officials that the Governor's Highway Beautification Council awarded the museum a Cer¬ tificate of Appreciation in February 1992 for “dedication to the protection of North Carolina's environment.” The Bornliiends didn't stop there. To preserve the natural environment even further and add to the education and enjoyment of visitors, an untouched deer trail amid the bushes and trees has been roped off as a so¬ cial display. For those who still want more information, a spacious screened- in seminai pavilion is now ready for Carl to share bis broad knowledge and expertise in a variety of hands-on work¬ shops. including bcadwork. leatherc raft and native foods. A small charge is made for these workshops and for the two-hour tours Carl conducts that he recommends for background in¬ formation and as pieparation for other museum seminars and experiences. Always inside the museum, which is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 1 a. m. until I* p.m. (and Mondays by appointment), is Carl Bomfrieud him¬ self. the sociable curator-directoi-edu- cator-aficionado-host. No exaggeration. < jrl isa treasure in his own right and he represents his museum to the public with affable case and informality. And why not? This museum is truly what this pleasant chap had his eye on all his life, even as far back as his Philadelphia days, when he was the young son of a merchant. Carl’s father was a furrier, and the skins and pelts that arrived for process¬ ing fascinated him as a youngster. Bet¬ ter yet. they caused a lifelong interest in animals, plants and the ways of the natural world. The boy's curiosity led him to leam about the hunting tech¬ niques of Indians and the respect they showed for animals and plants. Also. Carl admits he prefers being outside and living in hai mony with natut e, like many Native Americans. In his teenage years. Carl worked in the Pocono and C-anadian mountains teaching wilderness camping. With his earnings, he bought anvthing he could find that had any Native American sig¬ nificance. If he couldn't buy it. he would trade for it. After college, armed with a degree in ornamental horticulture, ( urrl went to work for a landscape architect in Philadelphia. It was seasonal work at best, and although he loved it, his more practical side began to consider teach¬ ing to earn a living. There followed a long stint in the classroom teaching biology. The Slulr/March 1993 28