There are many ways to tell a story and when it comes to repatriation, there are often multiple voices with different opinions. In the Yaqui case, there have been competing views on whether the objects should be returned. Some argued that they were stolen and should therefore be sent back. Others did not want the objects returned because it went against their ancestors' wishes to take back something that was once given as a gift.
Following a long process, it was decided that the ceremonial objects should be repatriated due to the fact that they were testimonies of an important period in Yaqui's history of deportation and life in exile.
The story of the Yaqui case is here presented in three films describing a repatriation case. The first film documents the process and relationship between Sweden and Mexico. The second film depicts the life of Yaquis today and their testimonies regarding this case. The third film describes a paralell research project designed to shed light on the multi- layered nature of this repatriation case.
Este artículo discute si es posible hacer cambios en las prácticas internas de un museo que conti... more Este artículo discute si es posible hacer cambios en las prácticas internas de un museo que contiene colecciones llamadas etnográficas. En Gotemburgo, Suecia, el museo provincial de Etnograf ía se convirtió en el Museo de la Cultura del Mundo. Nuevas prácticas museales para exhibiciones, programa y educación se comenzaron a implementar, pero ¿es posible cambiar prácticas alrededor de la gestión e interpretación de los objetos?
Áreas culturales Antropología en un mundo de fronteras Índice I. Antropología y construcción de f... more Áreas culturales Antropología en un mundo de fronteras Índice I. Antropología y construcción de fronteras culturales 9
Los museos etnográficos, tanto europeos como americanos, contienen objetos que provienen de grupo... more Los museos etnográficos, tanto europeos como americanos, contienen objetos que provienen de grupos que fueron excluídos en los proyectos de construcción del Estado-Nación. Todas las personas excluídas quedaron definidas dentro de los límites de la Etnografía. Hoy, el proceso es aparentemente diferente. A nivel político el estado-nación esta pasando por momentos de crisis y encontrando nuevas formas. En este nuevo marco politico-ideológico los museos de Etnografía intentan redifinirse. En el caso de los Museos de la Cultura del Mundo en Suecia, el proceso de redifinicion comenzo en 1996 cuando el gobierno nacional decidió la creación de esta nueva administración gubernamental. La pregunta es cual es la situación hoy, ¿qué objetos se recolectan para estas nuevas formaciones, quienes estan incluídos ó excluídos en este nuevo discurso?. ¿Es posible aún usar los objetos colectados en otra época en este nuevo paradigma?, ¿es posible de-colonizar las prácticas museales europeas de los museos de etnografía?. Con la ayuda de algunas colecciones americanas que hoy se encuentran en Suecia se intentará desarrollar estas preguntas.
In the archives of the Museums of World Culture in Gothenburg, there are evidences of the long tr... more In the archives of the Museums of World Culture in Gothenburg, there are evidences of the long tradition of contacts between Colombia and Sweden. The first contacts seem to be scientific and commercial; starting probably with the visit of Per Löfling (one of Carl von Linné’s disciples), continuing with commercial relationships between businessmen from Gothenburg and Bogota. There are early interesting contacts like Pedro Nisser from Sweden who moved to Colombia, or Nicolas Pereira Gamba who donated objects to the Museum of Gothenburg in the last part of the XIX century. However an intensive period of exchange and scientific contacts started with Erland Nordenskiöld’s travels to South America, continuing with Henry Wassén’s fieldwork in the area of Chocó. This period of organized fieldwork in the area of Darien and the Colombian Pacific Coast gave the start to a deep relationship which continued during all of the XX century. Henry Wassén established a relationship with Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, one of the most well-known anthropologists in Colombia (and South America) from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff was born 1912 in Austria and died 1994 in Colombia. During more than 20 years they exchanged letters that are stored today at the archive of the Museums of World Culture. This is a very important period in Gothenburg as well as in Bogota in the development of a new kind of Anthropological practice. The impact of the Second World War changed strongly the theoretical paradigm in sciences as well as the practice of these sciences. In Anthropology this meant the change from a more German theory and practice to an Anglo-American one. In this paper I would like to explore the relationship between Wassén and Riechel-Dolmatoff seen against the context of the wider changes in anthropology.
The National Museum of World Cultures (Várldskulturmuseet) has approximately 100,000 objects in i... more The National Museum of World Cultures (Várldskulturmuseet) has approximately 100,000 objects in its storerooms. Around 50,000 are from South America. The presence of these South American objects in Góteborg is mostly due to the figure of Erland Nordenskióld, who was head of the section of ethnography between 1913 and 1932. During that time an Americanist atmosphere was fomenting at the museum as well as at the University. Among his disciples Alfred Métraux, Stig Rydén and Henry Wassén can be mentioned. This work makes a brief presentation of the archaeological collections that arrived during this period at Góteborg.
The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indi... more The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indigenous material culture gathered over two centuries, spotlighted the importance of early Amazonian collections in European museums. The circulation of objects and knowledge in the 19th and the early 20th century is part of a history of interactions within global systems. Epistemological, political, social and economic aspects shaped the collections, following shifting interests related to scientific endeavors, colonization or extractivism, just to name the more common ones. The agents involved in the collecting in the South American Lowlands were scholars from different disciplines, settlers, politicians and traders linked by global interests. The close relationship of the then Museum fur Volkerkunde in Berlin and the Goteborgs Museum in Gothenburg with the Museu Nacional and other Brazilian institutions since the 1880s is striking, as they mutually engaged in the exchange of objects for...
The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indi... more The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indigenous material culture gathered over two centuries, spotlighted the importance of early Amazonian collections in European museums. The circulation of objects and knowledge in the 19 th and the early 20 th century is part of a history of interactions within global systems. Epistemological, political, social and economic aspects shaped the collections , following shifting interests related to scientific endeavors, colonization or extractivism, just to name the more common ones. The agents involved in the collecting in the South American Lowlands were scholars from different disciplines, settlers, politicians and traders linked by global interests. The close relationship of the then Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin and the Göteborgs Museum in Gothenburg with the Museu Nacional and other Brazilian institutions since the 1880s is striking, as they mutually engaged in the exchange of objects for major exhibitions and enriched the scientific exchange of knowledge, by sending and interchanging collections. Today, these objects stored in Berlin as well as in Gothenburg, could be incorporated into the reconstruction of the Museu Nacional, or directly could be put in dialogue with communities in the 21 st century. These collections were gathered with many purposes; however, from the beginning in Berlin with Adolf Bastian, and in Gothen-burg with Erland Nordenskiöld, the idea of an archive for the future was a primal one. The question remains, how to handle this 'universal archive' at risk? Resumo: A destruição das coleções do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, que abrigava cultura material indígena reunida ao longo de dois séculos, destacou a importância das anti-gas coleções amazônicas nos museus europeus. A circulação de objetos e conhecimento no século XIX e no início do século XX faz parte de uma história de interações dentro de siste-mas globais. Aspectos epistemológicos, políticos, sociais e econômicos moldaram as coleções, acompanhando as mudanças de interesses relacionados aos empreendimentos científicos, colonização ou extrativismo, apenas para citar os mais comuns. Os agentes envolvidos no colecionismo nas Terras Baixas Sul-Americanas eram acadêmicos de diferentes disciplinas, colonos, políticos e comerciantes conectados por interesses globais. A estreita relação do
We were living spoils, Speaking in silence, crying in silence and looking for children without na... more We were living spoils, Speaking in silence, crying in silence and looking for children without names, without knowing their genders, often without being certain that they had been born (Búsquedas As is well known, Argentina had a military dictatorship from to . During this period, it became common that people with different ideas to the regime vanished. The families of all these people (today it is estimated that around persons disappeared during the last dictatorship) never knew what really happened to them. It was obvious that they were murdered, but since the state never admitted that they had killed or imprisoned those persons, a category of citizens commonly referred to as desaparecidos was created. Part of a generation disappeared (those who would have been around years old today), either in the hands of the military or because the situation became impossible for them and they moved out from Argentina and migrated to other countries. One banal explanation the military gave during this period was that all these people were in Europe, studying, working or whatever. After the dictatorship a commission was created to investigate the crimes that the military had perpetrated. This commission was called " Nunca Más " (Never Again), and they documented all the cases and made denouncements against the dictatorial regime. In the collective mind of the population, it was clear that many of the desaparecidos had been buried in mass graves around the country. In the case of Córdoba, people who had been working at one of the city cemeteries in the seventies (San Vicente) remembered burials of NN (No Name) people under strange circumstances, such as without correct papers or during the night. In a federal judge from the provincial court in Córdoba, Cristina Garzón, ordered the excavation of NN burials at San Vicente. The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) became involved in this work. The excavations at the cemetery have until now given identity to three persons who disappeared during the last dictatorship in Argentina. The re-encounter between the families of the disappeared persons and their beloved ones took place at the Museum of Anthropology, and the team of anthropologists has been working in the museum's warehouse.
There are many ways to tell a story and when it comes to repatriation, there are often multiple voices with different opinions. In the Yaqui case, there have been competing views on whether the objects should be returned. Some argued that they were stolen and should therefore be sent back. Others did not want the objects returned because it went against their ancestors' wishes to take back something that was once given as a gift.
Following a long process, it was decided that the ceremonial objects should be repatriated due to the fact that they were testimonies of an important period in Yaqui's history of deportation and life in exile.
The story of the Yaqui case is here presented in three films describing a repatriation case. The first film documents the process and relationship between Sweden and Mexico. The second film depicts the life of Yaquis today and their testimonies regarding this case. The third film describes a paralell research project designed to shed light on the multi- layered nature of this repatriation case.
Este artículo discute si es posible hacer cambios en las prácticas internas de un museo que conti... more Este artículo discute si es posible hacer cambios en las prácticas internas de un museo que contiene colecciones llamadas etnográficas. En Gotemburgo, Suecia, el museo provincial de Etnograf ía se convirtió en el Museo de la Cultura del Mundo. Nuevas prácticas museales para exhibiciones, programa y educación se comenzaron a implementar, pero ¿es posible cambiar prácticas alrededor de la gestión e interpretación de los objetos?
Áreas culturales Antropología en un mundo de fronteras Índice I. Antropología y construcción de f... more Áreas culturales Antropología en un mundo de fronteras Índice I. Antropología y construcción de fronteras culturales 9
Los museos etnográficos, tanto europeos como americanos, contienen objetos que provienen de grupo... more Los museos etnográficos, tanto europeos como americanos, contienen objetos que provienen de grupos que fueron excluídos en los proyectos de construcción del Estado-Nación. Todas las personas excluídas quedaron definidas dentro de los límites de la Etnografía. Hoy, el proceso es aparentemente diferente. A nivel político el estado-nación esta pasando por momentos de crisis y encontrando nuevas formas. En este nuevo marco politico-ideológico los museos de Etnografía intentan redifinirse. En el caso de los Museos de la Cultura del Mundo en Suecia, el proceso de redifinicion comenzo en 1996 cuando el gobierno nacional decidió la creación de esta nueva administración gubernamental. La pregunta es cual es la situación hoy, ¿qué objetos se recolectan para estas nuevas formaciones, quienes estan incluídos ó excluídos en este nuevo discurso?. ¿Es posible aún usar los objetos colectados en otra época en este nuevo paradigma?, ¿es posible de-colonizar las prácticas museales europeas de los museos de etnografía?. Con la ayuda de algunas colecciones americanas que hoy se encuentran en Suecia se intentará desarrollar estas preguntas.
In the archives of the Museums of World Culture in Gothenburg, there are evidences of the long tr... more In the archives of the Museums of World Culture in Gothenburg, there are evidences of the long tradition of contacts between Colombia and Sweden. The first contacts seem to be scientific and commercial; starting probably with the visit of Per Löfling (one of Carl von Linné’s disciples), continuing with commercial relationships between businessmen from Gothenburg and Bogota. There are early interesting contacts like Pedro Nisser from Sweden who moved to Colombia, or Nicolas Pereira Gamba who donated objects to the Museum of Gothenburg in the last part of the XIX century. However an intensive period of exchange and scientific contacts started with Erland Nordenskiöld’s travels to South America, continuing with Henry Wassén’s fieldwork in the area of Chocó. This period of organized fieldwork in the area of Darien and the Colombian Pacific Coast gave the start to a deep relationship which continued during all of the XX century. Henry Wassén established a relationship with Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, one of the most well-known anthropologists in Colombia (and South America) from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff was born 1912 in Austria and died 1994 in Colombia. During more than 20 years they exchanged letters that are stored today at the archive of the Museums of World Culture. This is a very important period in Gothenburg as well as in Bogota in the development of a new kind of Anthropological practice. The impact of the Second World War changed strongly the theoretical paradigm in sciences as well as the practice of these sciences. In Anthropology this meant the change from a more German theory and practice to an Anglo-American one. In this paper I would like to explore the relationship between Wassén and Riechel-Dolmatoff seen against the context of the wider changes in anthropology.
The National Museum of World Cultures (Várldskulturmuseet) has approximately 100,000 objects in i... more The National Museum of World Cultures (Várldskulturmuseet) has approximately 100,000 objects in its storerooms. Around 50,000 are from South America. The presence of these South American objects in Góteborg is mostly due to the figure of Erland Nordenskióld, who was head of the section of ethnography between 1913 and 1932. During that time an Americanist atmosphere was fomenting at the museum as well as at the University. Among his disciples Alfred Métraux, Stig Rydén and Henry Wassén can be mentioned. This work makes a brief presentation of the archaeological collections that arrived during this period at Góteborg.
The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indi... more The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indigenous material culture gathered over two centuries, spotlighted the importance of early Amazonian collections in European museums. The circulation of objects and knowledge in the 19th and the early 20th century is part of a history of interactions within global systems. Epistemological, political, social and economic aspects shaped the collections, following shifting interests related to scientific endeavors, colonization or extractivism, just to name the more common ones. The agents involved in the collecting in the South American Lowlands were scholars from different disciplines, settlers, politicians and traders linked by global interests. The close relationship of the then Museum fur Volkerkunde in Berlin and the Goteborgs Museum in Gothenburg with the Museu Nacional and other Brazilian institutions since the 1880s is striking, as they mutually engaged in the exchange of objects for...
The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indi... more The destruction of the collections at the Museu Nacional in Rio de Janeiro, which had hosted indigenous material culture gathered over two centuries, spotlighted the importance of early Amazonian collections in European museums. The circulation of objects and knowledge in the 19 th and the early 20 th century is part of a history of interactions within global systems. Epistemological, political, social and economic aspects shaped the collections , following shifting interests related to scientific endeavors, colonization or extractivism, just to name the more common ones. The agents involved in the collecting in the South American Lowlands were scholars from different disciplines, settlers, politicians and traders linked by global interests. The close relationship of the then Museum für Völkerkunde in Berlin and the Göteborgs Museum in Gothenburg with the Museu Nacional and other Brazilian institutions since the 1880s is striking, as they mutually engaged in the exchange of objects for major exhibitions and enriched the scientific exchange of knowledge, by sending and interchanging collections. Today, these objects stored in Berlin as well as in Gothenburg, could be incorporated into the reconstruction of the Museu Nacional, or directly could be put in dialogue with communities in the 21 st century. These collections were gathered with many purposes; however, from the beginning in Berlin with Adolf Bastian, and in Gothen-burg with Erland Nordenskiöld, the idea of an archive for the future was a primal one. The question remains, how to handle this 'universal archive' at risk? Resumo: A destruição das coleções do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, que abrigava cultura material indígena reunida ao longo de dois séculos, destacou a importância das anti-gas coleções amazônicas nos museus europeus. A circulação de objetos e conhecimento no século XIX e no início do século XX faz parte de uma história de interações dentro de siste-mas globais. Aspectos epistemológicos, políticos, sociais e econômicos moldaram as coleções, acompanhando as mudanças de interesses relacionados aos empreendimentos científicos, colonização ou extrativismo, apenas para citar os mais comuns. Os agentes envolvidos no colecionismo nas Terras Baixas Sul-Americanas eram acadêmicos de diferentes disciplinas, colonos, políticos e comerciantes conectados por interesses globais. A estreita relação do
We were living spoils, Speaking in silence, crying in silence and looking for children without na... more We were living spoils, Speaking in silence, crying in silence and looking for children without names, without knowing their genders, often without being certain that they had been born (Búsquedas As is well known, Argentina had a military dictatorship from to . During this period, it became common that people with different ideas to the regime vanished. The families of all these people (today it is estimated that around persons disappeared during the last dictatorship) never knew what really happened to them. It was obvious that they were murdered, but since the state never admitted that they had killed or imprisoned those persons, a category of citizens commonly referred to as desaparecidos was created. Part of a generation disappeared (those who would have been around years old today), either in the hands of the military or because the situation became impossible for them and they moved out from Argentina and migrated to other countries. One banal explanation the military gave during this period was that all these people were in Europe, studying, working or whatever. After the dictatorship a commission was created to investigate the crimes that the military had perpetrated. This commission was called " Nunca Más " (Never Again), and they documented all the cases and made denouncements against the dictatorial regime. In the collective mind of the population, it was clear that many of the desaparecidos had been buried in mass graves around the country. In the case of Córdoba, people who had been working at one of the city cemeteries in the seventies (San Vicente) remembered burials of NN (No Name) people under strange circumstances, such as without correct papers or during the night. In a federal judge from the provincial court in Córdoba, Cristina Garzón, ordered the excavation of NN burials at San Vicente. The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF) became involved in this work. The excavations at the cemetery have until now given identity to three persons who disappeared during the last dictatorship in Argentina. The re-encounter between the families of the disappeared persons and their beloved ones took place at the Museum of Anthropology, and the team of anthropologists has been working in the museum's warehouse.
Este artículo discute si es posible hacer cambios en las prácticas internas de un museo que conti... more Este artículo discute si es posible hacer cambios en las prácticas internas de un museo que contiene colecciones llamadas etnográficas. En Gotemburgo, Suecia, el museo provincial de Etnograf ía se convirtió en el Museo de la Cultura del Mundo. Nuevas prácticas museales para exhibiciones, programa y educación se comenzaron a implementar, pero ¿es posible cambiar prácticas alrededor de la gestión e interpretación de los objetos?
The Past Ahead. Language, Culture, and Identity in the Neotropics. (Edited by: Christian Isendahl... more The Past Ahead. Language, Culture, and Identity in the Neotropics. (Edited by: Christian Isendahl.) Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Studies in Global Archaeology 18. 260 pp. Uppsala 2012. ISBN 978-91-506-2289-8.
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Talks by Adriana Muñoz
There are many ways to tell a story and when it comes to repatriation, there are often multiple voices with different opinions. In the Yaqui case, there have been competing views on whether the objects should be returned. Some argued that they were stolen and should therefore be sent back. Others did not want the objects returned because it went against their ancestors' wishes to take back something that was once given as a gift.
Following a long process, it was decided that the ceremonial objects should be repatriated due to the fact that they were testimonies of an important period in Yaqui's history of deportation and life in exile.
The story of the Yaqui case is here presented in three films describing a repatriation case. The first film documents the process and relationship between Sweden and Mexico. The second film depicts the life of Yaquis today and their testimonies regarding this case. The third film describes a paralell research project designed to shed light on the multi- layered nature of this repatriation case.
Hoy, el proceso es aparentemente diferente. A nivel político el estado-nación esta pasando por momentos de crisis y encontrando nuevas formas. En este nuevo marco politico-ideológico los museos de Etnografía intentan redifinirse. En el caso de los Museos de la Cultura del Mundo en Suecia, el proceso de redifinicion comenzo en 1996 cuando el gobierno nacional decidió la creación de esta nueva administración gubernamental.
La pregunta es cual es la situación hoy, ¿qué objetos se recolectan para estas nuevas formaciones, quienes estan incluídos ó excluídos en este nuevo discurso?. ¿Es posible aún usar los objetos colectados en otra época en este nuevo paradigma?, ¿es posible de-colonizar las prácticas museales europeas de los museos de etnografía?. Con la ayuda de algunas colecciones americanas que hoy se encuentran en Suecia se intentará desarrollar estas preguntas.
However an intensive period of exchange and scientific contacts started with Erland Nordenskiöld’s travels to South America, continuing with Henry Wassén’s fieldwork in the area of Chocó. This period of organized fieldwork in the area of Darien and the Colombian Pacific Coast gave the start to a deep relationship which continued during all of the XX century.
Henry Wassén established a relationship with Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, one of the most well-known anthropologists in Colombia (and South America) from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff was born 1912 in Austria and died 1994 in Colombia. During more than 20 years they exchanged letters that are stored today at the archive of the Museums of World Culture.
This is a very important period in Gothenburg as well as in Bogota in the development of a new kind of Anthropological practice. The impact of the Second World War changed strongly the theoretical paradigm in sciences as well as the practice of these sciences. In Anthropology this meant the change from a more German theory and practice to an Anglo-American one. In this paper I would like to explore the relationship between Wassén and Riechel-Dolmatoff seen against the context of the wider changes in anthropology.
Papers by Adriana Muñoz
There are many ways to tell a story and when it comes to repatriation, there are often multiple voices with different opinions. In the Yaqui case, there have been competing views on whether the objects should be returned. Some argued that they were stolen and should therefore be sent back. Others did not want the objects returned because it went against their ancestors' wishes to take back something that was once given as a gift.
Following a long process, it was decided that the ceremonial objects should be repatriated due to the fact that they were testimonies of an important period in Yaqui's history of deportation and life in exile.
The story of the Yaqui case is here presented in three films describing a repatriation case. The first film documents the process and relationship between Sweden and Mexico. The second film depicts the life of Yaquis today and their testimonies regarding this case. The third film describes a paralell research project designed to shed light on the multi- layered nature of this repatriation case.
Hoy, el proceso es aparentemente diferente. A nivel político el estado-nación esta pasando por momentos de crisis y encontrando nuevas formas. En este nuevo marco politico-ideológico los museos de Etnografía intentan redifinirse. En el caso de los Museos de la Cultura del Mundo en Suecia, el proceso de redifinicion comenzo en 1996 cuando el gobierno nacional decidió la creación de esta nueva administración gubernamental.
La pregunta es cual es la situación hoy, ¿qué objetos se recolectan para estas nuevas formaciones, quienes estan incluídos ó excluídos en este nuevo discurso?. ¿Es posible aún usar los objetos colectados en otra época en este nuevo paradigma?, ¿es posible de-colonizar las prácticas museales europeas de los museos de etnografía?. Con la ayuda de algunas colecciones americanas que hoy se encuentran en Suecia se intentará desarrollar estas preguntas.
However an intensive period of exchange and scientific contacts started with Erland Nordenskiöld’s travels to South America, continuing with Henry Wassén’s fieldwork in the area of Chocó. This period of organized fieldwork in the area of Darien and the Colombian Pacific Coast gave the start to a deep relationship which continued during all of the XX century.
Henry Wassén established a relationship with Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff, one of the most well-known anthropologists in Colombia (and South America) from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff was born 1912 in Austria and died 1994 in Colombia. During more than 20 years they exchanged letters that are stored today at the archive of the Museums of World Culture.
This is a very important period in Gothenburg as well as in Bogota in the development of a new kind of Anthropological practice. The impact of the Second World War changed strongly the theoretical paradigm in sciences as well as the practice of these sciences. In Anthropology this meant the change from a more German theory and practice to an Anglo-American one. In this paper I would like to explore the relationship between Wassén and Riechel-Dolmatoff seen against the context of the wider changes in anthropology.