Unhappy Objects of our Admiration
May 13, 2020 7:36 PM Subscribe
Is the British Museum's collection...homesick?
On one occasion a guard bolted the double doors and moved on to the next room, only to be informed by a CCTV operator that the doors stood wide open again. Video footage of the gallery showed them moving spontaneously. Sometimes it’s a sudden drop in temperature, like the unnerving patches of cold air that linger next to the winged, human-headed bull of Nimrud at the entrance to the Assyrian galleries. Sometimes it’s the sound of footsteps, or music, or crying, where no obvious source can be found.“These stories seem to suggest that the objects themselves are restless.” (sl1843Magazine/The Economist)
oh well maybe if they didn't want to be haunted they shouldn't have looted every known civilization in the history of humanity
posted by poffin boffin at 8:29 PM on May 13, 2020 [107 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:29 PM on May 13, 2020 [107 favorites]
If there are any objects that are of particular difficulty I offer my very expensive services to either fix the object by abjuring the phantasms or, failing that, by taking possession of the object myself.
...my living room could use a nice Nimrud.
posted by aramaic at 9:02 PM on May 13, 2020 [7 favorites]
...my living room could use a nice Nimrud.
posted by aramaic at 9:02 PM on May 13, 2020 [7 favorites]
I think any spirits attached to a Nimrud might make your living room a touch uncomfortable.
posted by jrochest at 9:11 PM on May 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by jrochest at 9:11 PM on May 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have friends who work at the British Museum, and they all say the place is haunted. In fact, I'm struggling to think of any librarians, archivists, or museum workers who don't have spooky stories about their place of work after dark.
I was hoping this piece was mainly going to be about the colonial looting issue, with the haunting stuff as a kind of intro into that, but it was more the other way around.
One thing I take issue with is the statement that communities sometimes don't want their objects back because they don't have the resources to look after them. Yes, that can be true, but it shouldn't be the end of the story. Keeping objects in a museum somewhere like London costs a ton of money, in terms of floor space, curator salary, insurance, etc. No one ever seems to cost out whether investing that kind of money into a safe place to keep the objects back in their original location might mean the resources were there for returning it. Often space and salary is so much less in the original location that it might even be cheaper to do so. People just don't want to do that, because they don't want to lose access to the object themselves.
And then sometimes, even if returning the object means it will not "preserved forever" that might still be the right choice. Nathan mudyi Sentance wrote a nice piece recently about this from his perspective as an archivist with Wiradjuri background.
posted by lollusc at 9:14 PM on May 13, 2020 [22 favorites]
I was hoping this piece was mainly going to be about the colonial looting issue, with the haunting stuff as a kind of intro into that, but it was more the other way around.
One thing I take issue with is the statement that communities sometimes don't want their objects back because they don't have the resources to look after them. Yes, that can be true, but it shouldn't be the end of the story. Keeping objects in a museum somewhere like London costs a ton of money, in terms of floor space, curator salary, insurance, etc. No one ever seems to cost out whether investing that kind of money into a safe place to keep the objects back in their original location might mean the resources were there for returning it. Often space and salary is so much less in the original location that it might even be cheaper to do so. People just don't want to do that, because they don't want to lose access to the object themselves.
And then sometimes, even if returning the object means it will not "preserved forever" that might still be the right choice. Nathan mudyi Sentance wrote a nice piece recently about this from his perspective as an archivist with Wiradjuri background.
posted by lollusc at 9:14 PM on May 13, 2020 [22 favorites]
A major objective of my most recent London visit was two full days at the British Museum. I’m a non-believer in stuff like this. I love the idea that the place is overrun with anxiety and evidence that contradicts my view.
posted by mwhybark at 10:20 PM on May 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by mwhybark at 10:20 PM on May 13, 2020 [2 favorites]
he recounts how a Dutch couple took a photograph of the mechanical galleon, a model ship of gilded copper and iron from 16th-century Germany, only to find, reflected in the glass case, the apparition of a female dwarf with missing clumps of hair smiling back at them.
If he's going to recount the story, he could show us the photograph!
posted by andraste at 10:21 PM on May 13, 2020 [22 favorites]
If he's going to recount the story, he could show us the photograph!
posted by andraste at 10:21 PM on May 13, 2020 [22 favorites]
Perhaps they could decolonise their space a bit.
posted by ursus_comiter at 10:25 PM on May 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by ursus_comiter at 10:25 PM on May 13, 2020 [3 favorites]
I was hoping this piece was mainly going to be about the colonial looting issue, with the haunting stuff as a kind of intro into that, but it was more the other way around.
The British Museum can be summarized by this experience I had when I was there. I was listening to the audio guide and went to the African and Oceanic collections (the tl;dr here is that they’re in a small space downstairs). The audio guide said something along the lines of “Africa, Oceania, and the Americas are often grouped together and referred to as 'ethnographic' collections”. In most modern museums, the audio guide would continue on with something like “we now recognize this is a problematic and Eurocentric view and now acknowledge the depth of history and cultural development of these diverse societies” but the British museum audio guide pointedly ended with “ethnographic collections.” That said it all.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 11:11 PM on May 13, 2020 [13 favorites]
The British Museum can be summarized by this experience I had when I was there. I was listening to the audio guide and went to the African and Oceanic collections (the tl;dr here is that they’re in a small space downstairs). The audio guide said something along the lines of “Africa, Oceania, and the Americas are often grouped together and referred to as 'ethnographic' collections”. In most modern museums, the audio guide would continue on with something like “we now recognize this is a problematic and Eurocentric view and now acknowledge the depth of history and cultural development of these diverse societies” but the British museum audio guide pointedly ended with “ethnographic collections.” That said it all.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 11:11 PM on May 13, 2020 [13 favorites]
"All sorts of evidence has come to light so that we know how this game was played, and we can play it now with a great deal of excitement. Sometimes it brings out violence. Sometimes it brings out savagery. I have to say that this does occasionally occur." --Also Irving Finkel.
posted by belarius at 12:03 AM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by belarius at 12:03 AM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
James Acaster: "A long time ago ... everyone in Britain got in a big old boat and we set sail and we robbed - and this will sound far fetched - everyone in the world."
posted by Kiwi at 12:10 AM on May 14, 2020 [26 favorites]
posted by Kiwi at 12:10 AM on May 14, 2020 [26 favorites]
I'm currently thinking of running a roleplaying campaign where the players have to pull off museum heists all over the world and return priceless artifacts to their original owners. It doesn't belong in a museum, actually, it belongs with the Congolese tribe it was taken from. All while being pursued by a crack team of museum 'international artifact recovery operatives'.
This post is giving me even more ideas. What if the objects ARE haunted, and everything that went wrong in the world since about 2016 is the result of their inhabiting spirits being wronged and restless?
I'm also available to write screenplays!
posted by dashdotdot dash at 2:55 AM on May 14, 2020 [23 favorites]
This post is giving me even more ideas. What if the objects ARE haunted, and everything that went wrong in the world since about 2016 is the result of their inhabiting spirits being wronged and restless?
I'm also available to write screenplays!
posted by dashdotdot dash at 2:55 AM on May 14, 2020 [23 favorites]
We lived next door to the British museum for a few years. I got to know it very well as I'd stroll over there during the day or in the evenings. Sometimes I would just go and look at a specific piece or room. My favorite place was always the Assyrian galleries in the lower floors. There were a couple benches there and you could just sit in front of the lion-hunt by yourself for quite a while.
I knew the tourist rhythm by heart and so it was not hard to time my visits so I could be alone in the galleries. Here's a photo set I took of one of those moments.
There are some objects, without a doubt, that just attract you. The Assyrian landscapes for one, the Galleon mentioned in the article, the John Dee mirror- the author is surprised that they felt nothing at John Dee's mirror but they should have asked why they chose that object among thousands in that room. So anyway its no surprise to me that in another small photoset I have of some of my favorite objects in the museum, there they all are.
Of the objects that clearly feel out of place there, the most egregious is the Easter island statue, the lost friend. The emotion I felt whenever I walked past it was - anger.
posted by vacapinta at 3:13 AM on May 14, 2020 [28 favorites]
I knew the tourist rhythm by heart and so it was not hard to time my visits so I could be alone in the galleries. Here's a photo set I took of one of those moments.
There are some objects, without a doubt, that just attract you. The Assyrian landscapes for one, the Galleon mentioned in the article, the John Dee mirror- the author is surprised that they felt nothing at John Dee's mirror but they should have asked why they chose that object among thousands in that room. So anyway its no surprise to me that in another small photoset I have of some of my favorite objects in the museum, there they all are.
Of the objects that clearly feel out of place there, the most egregious is the Easter island statue, the lost friend. The emotion I felt whenever I walked past it was - anger.
posted by vacapinta at 3:13 AM on May 14, 2020 [28 favorites]
One more thing, that people may not know about, especially as the article ends with:
Angell would love to take a closer look, but securing access is tricky (he’s working on it). For now, millions of objects remain in the dark, save for an occasional glance from a departmental assistant or the nightly ministrations of security guards, who switch the lights on for a brief moment to make sure nothing is out of place, before closing the door and continuing their rounds. “Down there”, says Angell, “things just stew in their own juices, indefinitely, for ever.”
You can in fact request to see these objects. No, you can't go down to the archives but they will bring the object to you.
posted by vacapinta at 3:34 AM on May 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
Angell would love to take a closer look, but securing access is tricky (he’s working on it). For now, millions of objects remain in the dark, save for an occasional glance from a departmental assistant or the nightly ministrations of security guards, who switch the lights on for a brief moment to make sure nothing is out of place, before closing the door and continuing their rounds. “Down there”, says Angell, “things just stew in their own juices, indefinitely, for ever.”
You can in fact request to see these objects. No, you can't go down to the archives but they will bring the object to you.
posted by vacapinta at 3:34 AM on May 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
Move these to the Magnus Archive’s artifact storage. Problem solved ?
posted by das_2099 at 6:23 AM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by das_2099 at 6:23 AM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
Roger Luckhurst's book (passed over with the barest mention in the article) is Mummy's Curse: The True History of a Dark Fantasy and is an excellent delve into why these stories came about, and why they have held such fascination. It's much better than this article, which seems a very superficial take and conflates a lot of things. There are multiple mentions of the Sutton Hoo exhibits, which are neither looted nor very far from home (probably two days' ride, to take a measure contemporary with the burial). If this is about restitution, why is that a focus? If it's about disturbing burials, why the artefacts from Nimrud which are not associated with any sort of burial?
There is so much interesting to say about what hauntings tell us about our relationship to the past, place and present (I liked Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, for example), but this isn't it.
posted by Vortisaur at 6:27 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
There is so much interesting to say about what hauntings tell us about our relationship to the past, place and present (I liked Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, for example), but this isn't it.
posted by Vortisaur at 6:27 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
The two main things I think of when I think of the British Museum are the Rosetta Stone and an old comment of mine about a science-fiction-themed scavenger hunt I did there about oh my god I am so old ten years ago.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:28 AM on May 14, 2020
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:28 AM on May 14, 2020
Wow, those statues of Sekhmet are startling, I can see why visitors try to commune with them.
A lot of these are actually religious artifacts and, if the stories are true, I don’t know if “haunted” is the right framing for what might be their power. They might be divine?
I don’t believe it, per se, but I don’t NOT believe it, either. Things always manage to become just a little more complicated and strange than I first imagine them to be.
Thank you for sharing this article — absolutely fascinating.
posted by rue72 at 6:44 AM on May 14, 2020
A lot of these are actually religious artifacts and, if the stories are true, I don’t know if “haunted” is the right framing for what might be their power. They might be divine?
I don’t believe it, per se, but I don’t NOT believe it, either. Things always manage to become just a little more complicated and strange than I first imagine them to be.
Thank you for sharing this article — absolutely fascinating.
posted by rue72 at 6:44 AM on May 14, 2020
Yes I know there are colonial issues.
But the British Museum is one of the greatest museums I've ever been fortunate enough to have been. It's spectacular and fascinating.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:01 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
But the British Museum is one of the greatest museums I've ever been fortunate enough to have been. It's spectacular and fascinating.
posted by SoberHighland at 7:01 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
vacapinta, great pix, thank you. I had no idea John Dee’s stuff was there, you bet I would have sought it out. I was highly focused on the Egyptian and Greek stuff and the Celtic things, the bogmen and so forth. The temporary show in the rotunda was of reliquaries. Lotta bits of dead people and cats.
posted by mwhybark at 7:26 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mwhybark at 7:26 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
I begin to suspect that any museum with a decently-sized collection of holy items pillaged from across the world is going to have some of this going on. I have not had a chance to track it down more specifically than “the African collection” because of everything closing for the pandemic but there sure is *something* heavy lurking in the upper floors of the New Orleans Museum Of Art.
posted by egypturnash at 7:32 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by egypturnash at 7:32 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
I'm currently thinking of running a roleplaying campaign where the players have to pull off museum heists all over the world and return priceless artifacts to their original owners.
You might or might not already know that in the 1980s, when Dungeons & Dragons was still in its ascendancy, its publisher TSR published a scenario in 1985 where the players have to retrieve a fabled magical artifact which has been taken to another plane. The item was in the Victoria and Albert Museum in modern-ish London.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:08 AM on May 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
You might or might not already know that in the 1980s, when Dungeons & Dragons was still in its ascendancy, its publisher TSR published a scenario in 1985 where the players have to retrieve a fabled magical artifact which has been taken to another plane. The item was in the Victoria and Albert Museum in modern-ish London.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:08 AM on May 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
This article is offensive in its mixing of some stupid ghost story supernatural bullshit with the very real and serious issue of repatriating stolen cultural artifacts. Why are they in the same story at all? I mean the ghost story is beneath The Economist, but this is 1843 (the "relaxed" Economist) so they want something fun. And then they actually do a decent job covering the repatriation discussion, so good for them doing that. But mixing the two? Fuck that.
To exorcise the memory of the failed attempt at journalism, allow me to share with you the Benin Bronzes. The British Museum has recently been a good steward of them, including posting some excellent photos of the ones they still hold. But they belong in Nigeria. The British Army looted them in 1897 as part of a colonialist massacre nominally in "retaliation" for the local Kingdom having the temerity to defend themselves against an invader.
Lest we be confused this looting was an act of cultural preservation; the very first thing the British did was sell off about two thirds of their plunder to other museums, purely for the profit. You find them all over the world now and they are beautiful. But also fully ripped from their cultural context, the magnificence that must have been the palace they were made for.
To bring this back to the level of silly fiction stories: Killmonger did nothing wrong stealing the Wakanda artifact.
posted by Nelson at 8:11 AM on May 14, 2020 [8 favorites]
To exorcise the memory of the failed attempt at journalism, allow me to share with you the Benin Bronzes. The British Museum has recently been a good steward of them, including posting some excellent photos of the ones they still hold. But they belong in Nigeria. The British Army looted them in 1897 as part of a colonialist massacre nominally in "retaliation" for the local Kingdom having the temerity to defend themselves against an invader.
Lest we be confused this looting was an act of cultural preservation; the very first thing the British did was sell off about two thirds of their plunder to other museums, purely for the profit. You find them all over the world now and they are beautiful. But also fully ripped from their cultural context, the magnificence that must have been the palace they were made for.
To bring this back to the level of silly fiction stories: Killmonger did nothing wrong stealing the Wakanda artifact.
posted by Nelson at 8:11 AM on May 14, 2020 [8 favorites]
I’m something of an expert on this subject. I can confirm, unequivocally, the British Museum is haunted as fuck. I’ve experienced several other Very Haunted Places (like I said, I’m extremely sensitive to sinister paranormal phenomena — I have some stories, for sure) and the British Museum makes me so uncomfortable I cannot be there In the middle of a crowded day for more than 30 minutes. Far, far worse than the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey which is loaded with corpses. I’ve always been surprised that more people haven’t noticed this about the museum, but like I said I am an extremely sensitive to ghosts. I have no opinion about whether returning the artifacts to their countries of origin would improve the haunting, but of course they should do so if feasible just for moral and cultural reasons.
Note: I am available to come to your home or other location if you would like an opinion about a possible haunting that might adversely affect you, but I want to be clear I’m not an exorcist (I don’t actually believe in exorcism) nor do I think I have the ability to communicate with particular spirits.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:22 AM on May 14, 2020 [4 favorites]
Note: I am available to come to your home or other location if you would like an opinion about a possible haunting that might adversely affect you, but I want to be clear I’m not an exorcist (I don’t actually believe in exorcism) nor do I think I have the ability to communicate with particular spirits.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:22 AM on May 14, 2020 [4 favorites]
I like the Cast Courts in the Victoria and Albert Museum - instead of looting objects, they just made copies and showed those off at the exhibit instead.
Of course, most of the objects there are from Europe, so England couldn't do the colonization/theft thing for them anyway
posted by ymgve at 9:00 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Of course, most of the objects there are from Europe, so England couldn't do the colonization/theft thing for them anyway
posted by ymgve at 9:00 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
It's spectacular and fascinating.
so were all the places that got robbed by the empire. arguably more so.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:21 AM on May 14, 2020 [4 favorites]
so were all the places that got robbed by the empire. arguably more so.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:21 AM on May 14, 2020 [4 favorites]
Using ghost stories and haunted artifacts as support for returning cultural artifacts is not going to be effective.
I take the really long view on this issue. Eventually, the contents of all cities will be redistributed either as spoils of war, like the horses of St. Mark (first looted from Greece by the Romans, then moved to Constantinople, then looted by Venetian crusaders and then looted by Napoleon), or excavated from ruined cities by future archaeologists after the collapse of our current civilization. Where will the statue of President Lincoln end up a 1000 years from now?
posted by Gwynarra at 9:41 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
I take the really long view on this issue. Eventually, the contents of all cities will be redistributed either as spoils of war, like the horses of St. Mark (first looted from Greece by the Romans, then moved to Constantinople, then looted by Venetian crusaders and then looted by Napoleon), or excavated from ruined cities by future archaeologists after the collapse of our current civilization. Where will the statue of President Lincoln end up a 1000 years from now?
posted by Gwynarra at 9:41 AM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Where will the statue of President Lincoln end up a 1000 years from now?
In the lobby of the Grand International Trump Hotel located off the receding coast of Florida, accessible by only by mega-yacht.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:54 AM on May 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
In the lobby of the Grand International Trump Hotel located off the receding coast of Florida, accessible by only by mega-yacht.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:54 AM on May 14, 2020 [5 favorites]
As long as we’re making unfalsifiable claims we may as well assert that the various objects in the British Museum are exceedingly happy to be there and the phenomena in question are the byproduct of their excited exploration of their rad new home.
The issue of what should be done with the cultural spoils of colonialism doesn’t need to be muddled by ghost stories when there are concrete, verifiable reasons to honor the wishes of actual living people.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:06 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
The issue of what should be done with the cultural spoils of colonialism doesn’t need to be muddled by ghost stories when there are concrete, verifiable reasons to honor the wishes of actual living people.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:06 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
Slarty (like your user name, good reference) like the imagery. Or how about in Trump Space Hotel only accessible by mega-space yacht. Or even off planet in the Musk museum on Mars.
posted by Gwynarra at 10:07 AM on May 14, 2020
posted by Gwynarra at 10:07 AM on May 14, 2020
If you asked me what I'd pay to spend a night alone in the British Museum, without touching anything. . . I'm a bit ashamed of how high the answer would be. It's probably not a house. But, it might be a car. I've never really considered night staff in big museums before. Also, the relationship to repatriation is really interesting.
My field tends to align much more with UFOs than ghosts. In my experience, it's always the lowest ranked staff who see them, which as a highish-rank employee and a materialist/atheist/skeptic, makes talking about it with respect, but not encouragement, somewhat delicate. Our field has plenty of our own historical and present day unethical choices with obvious and ugly colonial history, but at least the aliens aren't usually tied to deeply held beliefs. I'm grateful for that.
posted by eotvos at 11:21 AM on May 14, 2020
My field tends to align much more with UFOs than ghosts. In my experience, it's always the lowest ranked staff who see them, which as a highish-rank employee and a materialist/atheist/skeptic, makes talking about it with respect, but not encouragement, somewhat delicate. Our field has plenty of our own historical and present day unethical choices with obvious and ugly colonial history, but at least the aliens aren't usually tied to deeply held beliefs. I'm grateful for that.
posted by eotvos at 11:21 AM on May 14, 2020
This article is offensive in its mixing of some stupid ghost story supernatural bullshit with the very real and serious issue of repatriating stolen cultural artifacts. Why are they in the same story at all?
It might be offensive to those of us who don't believe in ghosts, but for those who do believe in ghosts, that these artifacts seem to be haunted is perceived as additional strong evidence that stealing the artifacts was so incredibly morally wrong that there are now supernatural consequences. I don't think the ghost believers intend any disrespect.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:53 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
It might be offensive to those of us who don't believe in ghosts, but for those who do believe in ghosts, that these artifacts seem to be haunted is perceived as additional strong evidence that stealing the artifacts was so incredibly morally wrong that there are now supernatural consequences. I don't think the ghost believers intend any disrespect.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:53 AM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
I think it can be summarized however anyone feels like, whether by ghosts or by a feeling of divinity or just by calling it BAD FUCKIN VIBES, and be valid either way. If I was a serial killer and robber who had fancy displays of all the stuff I took from my victims, it would be fucked up! People would see it and say "this is extremely fucking creepy! I am creeped out by this!" and that would be a valid opinion! If the family members of my victims were like "give us that stuff back right now you murdering thief" and I was like "lol suck it, finders keepers" that would similarly be incredibly fucked up! If 100s of years from now my collection was in a big building and the people I had murdered for their stuff were long dead and their distant descendants were like "this is still so gross and awful" they would still be so valid!
I love museums. Museums played a huge part in my weird-ass deeply spoiled and unsupervised childhood. I have a lot of wonderful memories of stuff involving museums all over the world. And it's so hard, bordering on literally morally impossible, to justify the existence of so many of their collections.
PoC, people from former colonies, people all over the world, demanding that white citizens of former empires think critically and decolonially about the things their ancestors stole from others should have their voices elevated and supported, far above those telling them to "get over it" or giving lengthy paternalistic explanations on how white anglophone nations are somehow naturally better stewards of the cultural histories of other nations.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:08 PM on May 14, 2020 [21 favorites]
I love museums. Museums played a huge part in my weird-ass deeply spoiled and unsupervised childhood. I have a lot of wonderful memories of stuff involving museums all over the world. And it's so hard, bordering on literally morally impossible, to justify the existence of so many of their collections.
PoC, people from former colonies, people all over the world, demanding that white citizens of former empires think critically and decolonially about the things their ancestors stole from others should have their voices elevated and supported, far above those telling them to "get over it" or giving lengthy paternalistic explanations on how white anglophone nations are somehow naturally better stewards of the cultural histories of other nations.
posted by poffin boffin at 1:08 PM on May 14, 2020 [21 favorites]
I worked in a museum once, as an exhibition designer, and it was my best job ever. I got to touch everything (with gloves on, of course). I even got to try a couple of hats. I was in the stacks and I was in the museum at night. The staff were such lovely people. I learnt a ton about all sorts of things. But the best thing was my boss. I can't find a good link to him, because this was before the internet, but he startled the whole Western museum community by sending stolen stuff back, already during the 1970's, when it was not nearly as big an issue as it is now.
I really enjoyed talking with him, when he could spare the time. His philosophy was that even if everything that was stolen was given back, there would still be several hundred thousand legitimate items in the museum, more that they could possibly ever show, and he could not find one single reason to keep them. He also felt the public should be allowed to touch some authentic items, like stone arrowheads, that could not possibly be harmed by human touch, and that we could make copies of more vulnerable items so people could feel them, too. And it's almost obvious that he thought that it was an obscenity to show dead people in glass cases. Finally, he had a wacky sense of humor. Maybe that is why there were no ghosts in the exhibition as far as I know. He couldn't decide everything, the big bosses overruled him sometimes. But he was a mensch, if there ever was one.
I don't feel it is wrong to combine the notion of ghosts in the museum and the question of returning objects to their rightful owners. Ghosts are a weird thing, if you don't believe in them, you don't have to, they still appear as a representation of our feelings about things. If we feel (even subconscious) guilt about the colonial rape of nations, we may experience haunted spaces in the buildings where we keep our loot. In a cultural history context, it is not strange that ghosts are part of the discussion.
posted by mumimor at 2:24 PM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
I really enjoyed talking with him, when he could spare the time. His philosophy was that even if everything that was stolen was given back, there would still be several hundred thousand legitimate items in the museum, more that they could possibly ever show, and he could not find one single reason to keep them. He also felt the public should be allowed to touch some authentic items, like stone arrowheads, that could not possibly be harmed by human touch, and that we could make copies of more vulnerable items so people could feel them, too. And it's almost obvious that he thought that it was an obscenity to show dead people in glass cases. Finally, he had a wacky sense of humor. Maybe that is why there were no ghosts in the exhibition as far as I know. He couldn't decide everything, the big bosses overruled him sometimes. But he was a mensch, if there ever was one.
I don't feel it is wrong to combine the notion of ghosts in the museum and the question of returning objects to their rightful owners. Ghosts are a weird thing, if you don't believe in them, you don't have to, they still appear as a representation of our feelings about things. If we feel (even subconscious) guilt about the colonial rape of nations, we may experience haunted spaces in the buildings where we keep our loot. In a cultural history context, it is not strange that ghosts are part of the discussion.
posted by mumimor at 2:24 PM on May 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
Art historian Alice Procter is on a mission to decolonise museums and galleries in her 'Uncomfortable Art Tours' [ABC - Australia]
posted by freethefeet at 6:50 PM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by freethefeet at 6:50 PM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
To exorcise the memory of the failed attempt at journalism, allow me to share with you the Benin Bronzes. The British Museum has recently been a good steward of them, including posting some excellent photos of the ones they still hold. But they belong in Nigeria. The British Army looted them in 1897 as part of a colonialist massacre nominally in "retaliation" for the local Kingdom having the temerity to defend themselves against an invader.
Nelson, you sent me down a Benin City rabbit hole. I'd never heard of the Punitive Expedition before, nor the fascinating history of Benin City and how one of the wonders of the world was wiped completely off the face of the Earth because some British merchants didn't want to pay tariffs on palm oil. Considering that's one small group of artifacts from one corner of the world with an horrific and mostly forgotten story of unimaginable injustice...
Send the artifacts back, replace them with pictures of what used to be on display at the British Museum and then add some stories, photos, and videos about how they were all obtained. I'd go.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:15 PM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
Nelson, you sent me down a Benin City rabbit hole. I'd never heard of the Punitive Expedition before, nor the fascinating history of Benin City and how one of the wonders of the world was wiped completely off the face of the Earth because some British merchants didn't want to pay tariffs on palm oil. Considering that's one small group of artifacts from one corner of the world with an horrific and mostly forgotten story of unimaginable injustice...
Send the artifacts back, replace them with pictures of what used to be on display at the British Museum and then add some stories, photos, and videos about how they were all obtained. I'd go.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:15 PM on May 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
I apologize for posting this. I liked the idea that stolen antiquities were expressing a wish to be returned to the places they belonged, and failed to reckon with the ways the piece fails to adequately address the violence of colonial history. Clearly this was a lapse in judgement, and again, I apologize. I'm going to ask the mods to take the post down.
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 10:16 PM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 10:16 PM on May 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Fish, fish, unless people are asking you privately to do so, I don't think you should ask the mods to take the post down. I think the discussion is very worthwhile and people have posted some interesting links and thoughts about decolonialisation that would be lost if the post was deleted.
I think the original piece could have done better, but I also don't think it is super offensive. But I appreciate that others might have other views, and as someone whose ancestors items are not sitting pillaged in a colonial building, I am more than happy to defer to others' feelings about this.
posted by lollusc at 10:27 PM on May 14, 2020 [16 favorites]
I think the original piece could have done better, but I also don't think it is super offensive. But I appreciate that others might have other views, and as someone whose ancestors items are not sitting pillaged in a colonial building, I am more than happy to defer to others' feelings about this.
posted by lollusc at 10:27 PM on May 14, 2020 [16 favorites]
Thank you, lollusc. No one has asked me to take it down. But I never want to post anything hurtful here, and that seems to be exactly what I've done. I figured if I posted my comment last night that would give the folks who brought in better links time to know they could/would need to post them elsewhere.
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 8:25 AM on May 15, 2020
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 8:25 AM on May 15, 2020
As someone who called out the article as offensive, I'd hate to see this post deleted. I think the article's framing is offensive but it's not stupid. It's worth discussion. (And goodness knows I enjoy a little self-righteous offense taking!)
posted by Nelson at 8:59 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 8:59 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Footnote to Nelson's comment, here's an 1897 photograph of the punitive expedition soldiers with their loot at the Oba's Palace in Benin.
posted by glasseyes at 9:12 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by glasseyes at 9:12 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
The act of colonialism itself is harmful, as is the defense of it, but discussing it critically is IMO usually a very good thing. And refusing to engage with things that make us uncomfortable for the truths we're forced to face about our own histories is not usually a very good thing.
posted by poffin boffin at 9:33 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 9:33 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've enjoyed the discussion and all the links here, I'd hate to see it taken down.
Slarty Bartfarst, there's still a Palace in Benin, Oba Ovonramwen was exiled, not murdered, and the lineage remains unbroken although I don't think the succession was ever straightforward patrilineal primogeniture. Here is the King (Getty Images 1964 Benin City) who got the regalia back from the British Musem, Oba Akenzua II: From EDO Historical Traditional Cultural Heritage: MORE LEGACIES…- In Oba Akenzua’s relentless effort to regain the lost glory of the great kingdom, some of his late grand- father, Oba Ovonramwen’s coral regalia were returned by the British Museum. He had the courage, ability and patience to surmount all trials and intrigues of his reign. He worked tirelessly to find solutions between the British rule and culture of his people. He was also forceful and dynamic in the advancement of Nigeria. (Facebook)
And here's what wikipedia has to say about Akenzua II - not very much and a somewhat different take on the recovery of the coral.
Here's a feature on the current Oba when he was crowned, from Nigerian newspaper The Vanguard.
Quote from article: I am not surprised this Oba, despite the fact that he is a well-travelled diplomat, decided to carry out all the rites to the throne. That is the way it should be else you destroy the tradition. He may have his contacts all over the world but the tradition is the tradition.
Many of the traditional rulers in the south of the country are 100% sacred kings by the way, and maintain an active and respected political role. The separation of powers between state and traditional rulers is complicated, formalised and that's all I know about it.
There are historical/mythical links between the Kingdoms of Benin (Edo people) and of Ife (Yoruba people) though each claims to be the originator of the culture. I think there's some kind of kingship link whereby the Oba of Benin nominates some of the more easterly Yoruba kings and the Oni of Ife or Alafin of Oyo nominates some of the Bini kings. I don't remember very well, my Yoruba history is rusty and that's book research not internet research. But the lineage and the oral traditions go back centuries and a good part of it is secret knowledge, like the Elysian rites, if you want an analogy. Except there are living people with that knowledge right now.
posted by glasseyes at 10:09 AM on May 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
Slarty Bartfarst, there's still a Palace in Benin, Oba Ovonramwen was exiled, not murdered, and the lineage remains unbroken although I don't think the succession was ever straightforward patrilineal primogeniture. Here is the King (Getty Images 1964 Benin City) who got the regalia back from the British Musem, Oba Akenzua II: From EDO Historical Traditional Cultural Heritage: MORE LEGACIES…- In Oba Akenzua’s relentless effort to regain the lost glory of the great kingdom, some of his late grand- father, Oba Ovonramwen’s coral regalia were returned by the British Museum. He had the courage, ability and patience to surmount all trials and intrigues of his reign. He worked tirelessly to find solutions between the British rule and culture of his people. He was also forceful and dynamic in the advancement of Nigeria. (Facebook)
And here's what wikipedia has to say about Akenzua II - not very much and a somewhat different take on the recovery of the coral.
Here's a feature on the current Oba when he was crowned, from Nigerian newspaper The Vanguard.
Quote from article: I am not surprised this Oba, despite the fact that he is a well-travelled diplomat, decided to carry out all the rites to the throne. That is the way it should be else you destroy the tradition. He may have his contacts all over the world but the tradition is the tradition.
Many of the traditional rulers in the south of the country are 100% sacred kings by the way, and maintain an active and respected political role. The separation of powers between state and traditional rulers is complicated, formalised and that's all I know about it.
There are historical/mythical links between the Kingdoms of Benin (Edo people) and of Ife (Yoruba people) though each claims to be the originator of the culture. I think there's some kind of kingship link whereby the Oba of Benin nominates some of the more easterly Yoruba kings and the Oni of Ife or Alafin of Oyo nominates some of the Bini kings. I don't remember very well, my Yoruba history is rusty and that's book research not internet research. But the lineage and the oral traditions go back centuries and a good part of it is secret knowledge, like the Elysian rites, if you want an analogy. Except there are living people with that knowledge right now.
posted by glasseyes at 10:09 AM on May 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
I remember when we went to go and see Stonehenge I'd built it up so much in my imagination I couldn't help but be disappointed by the reality of it and I think the mythic past that's in everyone's imagination is the same way. We are unprepared to see the real stuff that generates powerful myths because it's not going to resemble anything glitzy from Hollywood. Traditional African kingdoms are unlikely to look like anything in Coming to America, thank god. If we were transported back to the early days of Notre Dame cathedral I'm sure we'd be terribly disillusioned to find monks and other sundry people sloping off to have a shit in the bushes behind it (or right by the back wall.) And power also is located in the beliefs of a community, giving places, sites, characters a charge, like electricity, that doesn't stem from set dressing but from minds in agreement.
So the bronzes and the Oba's Palace of 1897 is grievous loss and horrible act of vandalism but I don't think there's anyone here really, myself included, who has any sort of idea of what it looked like, or is capable of having one. Anyhow here is the modern one, built in an architectural tradition of Modern West African Municipal.
posted by glasseyes at 10:34 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
So the bronzes and the Oba's Palace of 1897 is grievous loss and horrible act of vandalism but I don't think there's anyone here really, myself included, who has any sort of idea of what it looked like, or is capable of having one. Anyhow here is the modern one, built in an architectural tradition of Modern West African Municipal.
posted by glasseyes at 10:34 AM on May 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
As someone who has worked overnight security in a smaller but still encyclopedic museum, I can explain most if not all "haunting" activity pretty easily. A lot of the cited examples sound to me like HVAC system issues or other facilities problems - doors opening spontaneously can be due to air pressure buildup or a mechanical failure in the door mechanism; changes in air temperature from room to room are really common, especially if you close off rooms and corridors, fire alarm systems love nothing better than going off about nothing if a sauirrel farts on the roof (yes, we check them anyway - fire is a major threat to collections.) It's pretty easy to scare the shit out of yourself in a partially lit museum at night, with a pop of a parqet floor and a glimpse of your own reflection, mixed with a hearty dose of sleep deprivation and the desire to see something special and powerful.
I have heard lots and LOTS of stories, and had people get EXTREMELY ANGRY with crying and shouting when I tell them the museum is NOT haunted and sometimes further inquire why they usually only see ghosts in the European and US galleries and not the Asian, African, Oceanic or Native US areas where we have depictions of living gods, objects of dubious provenance (we've actively been cooperating with various repatriation efforts) and at least one mummy with an extra head.
I have since had to craft a particular policy regarding ghosts, especially when people go out of their way to scare the shit out of themselves:
Don't bother the ghosts. If you believe they are here it is for their own reasons that have little to do with you. They are not here to entertain you, and they can't do anything to you. If you go looking for them or mess with them, you're only going to end up freaking yourself out and we'll have to have this talk again. So do not.
posted by louche mustachio at 5:16 PM on May 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
I have heard lots and LOTS of stories, and had people get EXTREMELY ANGRY with crying and shouting when I tell them the museum is NOT haunted and sometimes further inquire why they usually only see ghosts in the European and US galleries and not the Asian, African, Oceanic or Native US areas where we have depictions of living gods, objects of dubious provenance (we've actively been cooperating with various repatriation efforts) and at least one mummy with an extra head.
I have since had to craft a particular policy regarding ghosts, especially when people go out of their way to scare the shit out of themselves:
Don't bother the ghosts. If you believe they are here it is for their own reasons that have little to do with you. They are not here to entertain you, and they can't do anything to you. If you go looking for them or mess with them, you're only going to end up freaking yourself out and we'll have to have this talk again. So do not.
posted by louche mustachio at 5:16 PM on May 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
oh well maybe if they didn't want to be haunted they shouldn't have looted every known civilization in the history of humanity
Quite. Respectfully, anyone offended by the idea of ghosts or spirits in connection with these artefacts should perhaps ponder the role Newtonian science played in asserting the dominance hierarchies that desacralised them in the first place.
Do I believe in ghosts? Well, I was raised to be sceptical about these things, and I've had more than enough spooky experiences to make me at least somewhat sympathetic to the idea. These objects were created and preserved for their psychological affect, and synchronicity can be very suggestive. I very much doubt the Congolese fetish actually set off the fire alarm, but part of me would not be at all surprised if it had done. So when discussing the repatriation of spiritually significant objects, I think ghosts are as close to first principles as you can get. Every society has them in one form or another, which makes them part of the universal human experience.
As for the Benin Bronzes, sending them back is the right thing to do. But if we're talking about the power of the spirit, they are the epitome of great art, and great art can always transcend its original context. I live in hope that at least some of them will keep moving, marching from museum to museum like a tiny army, to be seen by as many people as possible, giving a full and frank account of the British idiocy that uprooted them.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 9:33 AM on May 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
Quite. Respectfully, anyone offended by the idea of ghosts or spirits in connection with these artefacts should perhaps ponder the role Newtonian science played in asserting the dominance hierarchies that desacralised them in the first place.
Do I believe in ghosts? Well, I was raised to be sceptical about these things, and I've had more than enough spooky experiences to make me at least somewhat sympathetic to the idea. These objects were created and preserved for their psychological affect, and synchronicity can be very suggestive. I very much doubt the Congolese fetish actually set off the fire alarm, but part of me would not be at all surprised if it had done. So when discussing the repatriation of spiritually significant objects, I think ghosts are as close to first principles as you can get. Every society has them in one form or another, which makes them part of the universal human experience.
As for the Benin Bronzes, sending them back is the right thing to do. But if we're talking about the power of the spirit, they are the epitome of great art, and great art can always transcend its original context. I live in hope that at least some of them will keep moving, marching from museum to museum like a tiny army, to be seen by as many people as possible, giving a full and frank account of the British idiocy that uprooted them.
posted by Elizabeth the Thirteenth at 9:33 AM on May 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
« Older Stevie Wonder turns 70 today | This is how we chill, 93 'til.... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by jokeefe at 8:03 PM on May 13, 2020 [1 favorite]