Fwd:

[speculumannorum]

26.8.20, Kulturmuseum Basel: in an exhibition on collection provenance and priorities, the Kulturmuseum Basel with two complicated strategies for discussing objects of ritual significance: first an empty spot marking an Arrente ritual item they no longer display (the sign notes that the traditional owners are aware of this object & in contact with the museum - I don’t know why it hasn’t been repatriated yet); secondly, rather than excavating anonymous skulls in Hallstatt, the local authorities will only allow excavation of skulls by direct descendants - instead the museum provided its own skulls, which were then painted in Hallstatt. But whose skulls? It’s really striking that while talking about ethically gaining work from Hallstatt they just gloss over the q of where they got skulls of unknown origin in the first place!