O Holy Night

Interview
with Henrietta

Henrietta Van Maanen ’55 of Fort Dodge, Iowa, began collecting nativities more than 40 years ago. Recently, we asked her to tell us more about her hobby.

They’re made of wool, ebony, seal skin, banana leaves, cotton tree thorns and clay dipped in cashew sap. Their faces resemble people in Zaire, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Peru and Nepal. Henrietta Van Maanen ’55 has collected more than 600 nativity sets from around the world. Some, donated to Northwestern, are displayed each December in Ramaker Library—an Advent reminder that one day “every nation, tribe and people” will worship the King.

Click on the thumbnails below to to find out which countries these nativity sets came from.

Cristomal Mamani of Huancay, Peru, created each piece of this nativity set by rolling or forming the clay by hand.

Henrietta purchased these ebony shepherds from Zaire in 1997 at the International Crèche Festival in Bellingham, Wash.

Photos by Doug Burg

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