̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Pacific curators restore Indigenous voices to colonial-era collections

ta385 — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 23:00:00 +0000

'Fault Lines', a new exhibition at MAA, offers an intimate exploration of Pacific cultures guided by Indigenous curators and contemporary artists from Hawai‘i, the Torres Strait, Bougainville and the Salish Sea

Report highlights ̽��ֱ��’s under-researched African collections

ta385 — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:00:00 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��'s collections include an estimated 350,000 artefacts, alongside natural history specimens and human/ancestral remains, from Africa, according to a new report aiming to promote further research, collaboration and engagement, especially with African scholars and communities. ̽��ֱ��report emphasises that the labour and expertise of countless unnamed African people is hidden in the histories of these collections.

Australian Aboriginal spears taken by James Cook to be repatriated

sb726 — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 09:42:24 +0000

̽��ֱ��spears were taken by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770 from Kamay (Botany Bay) at the time of the first contact between the crew of the HMB Endeavour and the Aboriginal people of eastern Australia.

Trinity College has agreed to permanently return the four spears to the La Perouse Aboriginal community. ̽��ֱ��College is now approaching the UK’s Charity Commission to obtain approval for this transfer of legal title.

Cook recorded that 40 spears were taken from the camps of Aboriginal people living at Botany Bay in April 1770.

Lord Sandwich of the British Admiralty presented the four spears to Trinity College soon after James Cook returned to England and they have been part of the collection since 1771. Since 1914 the four spears have been cared for by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. ̽��ֱ��four spears are all that remain of the original 40 spears collected.

Trinity College’s decision follows the establishment of a respectful and robust relationship over the last decade between the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Aboriginal community at La Perouse. Discussions included representatives of the local Gweagal people - the Aboriginal group from whom the spears were taken - the broader Dharawal Nation, and leading community organisations, including the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Gujaga Foundation.

̽��ֱ��relationship between Cambridge and La Perouse will continue through collaborative research projects and community visits, once the spears have been returned.

̽��ֱ��La Perouse community is currently lending contemporary spears made by Senior Gweagal Clan leader Rodney Mason to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to show how traditional knowledge has been passed down, while adapting to new technologies.

̽��ֱ��decision by Trinity College to return the spears followed a formal repatriation request in December 2022, from the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Gujaga Foundation.

In 2015 and again in 2020, some of the spears were returned temporarily to Australia for the first time since they were taken, and displayed by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra as part of two exhibitions exploring frontier encounters.

̽��ֱ��spears will be permanently repatriated with the assistance of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council chairperson, Noeleen Timbery said the spears would be preserved for future generations.

“We are proud to have worked with Cambridge’s Trinity College and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to transfer the ownership of these enormously significant artefacts to the La Perouse Aboriginal community. They are an important connection to our past, our traditions and cultural practices, and to our ancestors. With assistance from the National Museum of Australia and AIATSIS we will ensure these objects are preserved for our future generations and for all Australians.

"Our Elders have worked for many years to see their ownership transferred to the traditional owners of Botany Bay. Many of the families within the La Perouse Aboriginal community are descended from those who were present during the eight days the Endeavour was anchored in Kamay in 1770,” said Ms Timbery.

Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, said he was honoured to have worked with the Kamay community to repatriate the spears.

“It has been immensely rewarding to work with the La Perouse community to research these artefacts and we look forward to extending the partnership into the future,” said Professor Thomas.

" ̽��ֱ��spears are exceptionally significant. They are the first artefacts collected by any European from any part of Australia, that remain extant and documented. They reflect the beginnings of a history of misunderstanding and conflict. Their significance will be powerfully enhanced through return to the country."

Dame Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College, welcomed the decision to return the spears.

“Trinity is committed to better understanding the College’s history, and to addressing the complex legacies of the British Empire, not least in our collections,” said Professor Davies.

“ ̽��ֱ��College’s interaction with the La Perouse Aboriginal community, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and National Museum Australia regarding the return of artefacts to the people from whom they were taken has been a respectful and rewarding process.

“We believe that this is the right decision and I would like to acknowledge and thank all those involved."

Dharawal Elder, Dr Shayne Williams said: “These spears are of immeasurable value as powerful, tangible connections between our forebears and ourselves. I want to acknowledge the respectfulness of Trinity College in returning these spears back to our community. In caring for the spears for over 252 years, Trinity College has ensured that these priceless artefacts can now be utilised for cultural education by the Aboriginal community into the future.”

Four Australian Aboriginal spears – cared for by Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology – are to be repatriated after Trinity College agreed to permanently return them to the country.

It has been immensely rewarding to work with the La Perouse community to research these artefacts and we look forward to extending the partnership into the future.

Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Britain's first colonial anthropology experiment revealed

ta385 — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 06:00:00 +0000

A new exhibition at MAA examines the pioneering ethnographic archive assembled by Britain’s first colonial anthropologist, Cambridge alumnus Northcote Thomas.

Heritage science investment to unveil secrets of Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� collections

zs332 — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:44:50 +0000

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has been awarded £3m from the AHRC's Capability for Collections Fund to invest in equipment and refurbishment that will enable researchers from across the UK and worldwide to undertake new research into its heritage collections.

Packed programme of events to mark LGBT+ History Month 2019

sb726 — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:19:09 +0000

Rainbow flags will fly - and be projected - across the ̽��ֱ�� and Colleges, and a series of events will be held to mark LGBT+ History Month, which begins today (1 February).

̽��ֱ��annual celebration aims to promote equality and diversity by increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, their history, lives and their experiences - and some of those experiences will be featured in exhibitions, talks, and drop-in sessions organised by staff and students at the ̽��ֱ��.

Professor Andrew Webber, the ̽��ֱ��'s LGBT+ Equality Champion, said: “LGBT+ History Month at Cambridge promises to be an intriguing mix of thoughtful debate and fun, in a variety of settings. From discussions on civil rights to queer crafts, the events taking place offer a unique opportunity to celebrate diversity and advance education on matters affecting the LGBT+ community.”

Some of the events are highlighted below:

Friday, 1 February, 5pm - An Introduction to Queer History - Andrew Lumsden

̽��ֱ��Nihon Room, Pembroke College
Delivered by original Gay Liberation Front (GLF) activist and co-founder of Gay News Andrew Lumsden, this talk begins just prior to the Labouchere Amendment of 1885 and works forward to the modern day. ̽��ֱ��talk will stop off at significant moments in Queer History in this time period, with emphasis on the Labouchere Amendment and on the activities of the GLF in the early 1970s. ̽��ֱ��talk will end by looking at the modern context, and will allow ample room for questions to be answered by the speaker.
̽��ֱ��event is part of the CamQueerHistory series, organised by a group of staff, graduates and undergraduates from departments and Colleges across the ̽��ֱ��. For more information visit www.camqueerhistory.co.uk.

Saturday, 2 February, 2pm to 4pm - Queer Wellbeing Drop In

̽��ֱ��Nihon Room, Pembroke College
Cambridge poet Michael Brown hosts a friendly and social drop-in afternoon of art and poetry activities to promote wellbeing.Try mindfulness colouring in, queer crafts or help write our collective poem. Drop in and stay as little or as long as you want.
Accessible venue with everyone welcome to join us. www.poetbrownie.com @CamQueerHistory

Monday, 4 February - Saturday, 2 March - ̽��ֱ�� Library exhibition

Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Library
The ̽��ֱ�� Library will mark LGBT+ History Month by flying the rainbow flag on weekdays throughout February and with an exhibition of historic and modern collection items that touch upon different facets of the LGBT+ community over the centuries. ̽��ֱ��material on display covers a millennium of human thought, from 11th-century Israel to 21st-century Cambridge, and takes in Japanese, French, American, Hispanic and British stories. It is open during normal Library opening hours - all are welcome.

Saturday, 9 February, 11am to 4.30pm - Rainbow Pilgrims Exhibition

South Lecture Room, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge.
Explore the rites and passages of LGBTQI migrants in Britain through this incredible interactive exhibition. Rainbow Pilgrims is a landmark project that discovers the hidden history of LGBTQI migrants in the UK past and present. ̽��ֱ��project covers the period from the first Jewish Kindertransports to Britain today. One-day exhibition organised in conjunction with Encompass Network, Cambridge City Council and the UCM.

Saturday, 16 February, 10am to 5.30pm - TRASH! Waste and Excess in Queer Cultures

Faculty of English Building, 9 West Road, Cambridge
̽��ֱ��Faculty of English hosts 'TRASH! Waste and Excess in Queer Cultures', an interdisciplinary symposium exploring waste and excess in LGBTQ+ life and culture. Featuring contributions by leading scholars of literature, film, art history, and performance, it celebrates queer cultures' remarkable, inventive employment of waste and garbage as artistic materials and trash as a queer aesthetic. ̽��ֱ��symposium is organised by Dr Diarmuid Hester (Leverhulme Early Career Fellow) and supported by ̽��ֱ��Leverhulme Trust, Encompass Network, and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge's Faculty of English, LGBTQ+@Cam, and the Public Engagement Starter Fund.
Booking is essential. Get your free ticket

For updates follow @CamQueerTrash

Tuesday, 19 February 2019, 4.30pm to 6pm - Celebrating Difference: A Whole School Approach to LGBT+ Inclusion - Shaun Dellenty

Donald McIntyre Building, Faculty of Education, Hills Road
Shaun Dellenty, a nationally celebrated LGBT inclusion-in-education advocate and educator, has written a ground-breaking book, Celebrating Difference - A Whole School Approach to LGBT+ Inclusion aimed at empowering school leaders, school governors and teachers to facilitate lasting organisational change within their schools. Shaun has adopted a multi-layered approach, bringing awareness of LGBT identities across a variety of media, including social media, blogging, news and television.

Thursday, 21 February, 5.30pm to 6:30pm - Annual LGBT HM Lecture: Trans People: Flashback and Backlash

̽��ֱ��McGrath Centre, St Catharine's College
Christine Burns MBE campaigned for a quarter of a century for the civil rights of transgender people and has been involved with the community for more than 40 years.
She is the editor of the recently published book Trans Britain: Our Journey from the Shadows - a comprehensive account of the landmark events which shaped the transgender community over the last five decades.
Book your place at the Annual LGBT HM Lecture

Monday, 25 February, 4.30pm to 6pm - Researching LGBTQ+ Issues: Building Community

Donald McIntyre Building, Faculty of Education, Hills Road
A panel of researchers and associated colleagues discuss the complexities of researching LGBTQ + issues, and the vital role of community building.

Charlotte Allen (2nd year PhD) – Exploring LGBTQ + students’ resilience in response to commonplace challenges at school: preliminary findings and researcher experiences
Frank Frangeskou (2nd year MEd) – LGB School Leadership: Breaking the Silence
Becky Moses (ACE MPhil) – Queer Temporalities, Histories, and Utopias: ̽��ֱ��Potentialities and Possibilities of a Queer Poetic Practice
Lucian Stephenson (administrative) – Yet Another Trans 101: Experiences and Frustrations as a Transgender Transgender Educator
This talk is part of the Arts and Creativities Research Group series. Find out more about the panel talk

Tuesday, 26 February, 2pm to 6pm - Queer(y)ing the Past: An Afternoon of Alternative Archaeology - with wine! Free seminar

Henry Wellcome Building, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge
A series of short talks will explore the topic of sexuality and gender in the past. Talks will also address the issues of undertaking field research as LGBTQ+ archaeologists. No registration required.
Keynote: Prof Richard Parkinson, ̽��ֱ�� of Oxford, 'Moments of Identification: LGBTQ+ History and Heritage'.

For information about other LGBT+ History Month events, visit lgbt.cusu.cam.ac.uk/contact-us/

Art, poetry and alternative archeology are among the highlights of LGBT+ History Month at the ̽��ֱ�� and Colleges

From discussions on civil rights to queer crafts, the events taking place offer a unique opportunity to celebrate diversity...

Professor Andrew Webber

Emmanuel College projects the rainbow flag

Yes

Mysterious 11,000-year-old skull headdresses go on display in Cambridge

sjr81 — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 08:21:37 +0000

̽��ֱ��headdresses are the star exhibits in A Survival Story – Prehistoric Life at Star Carr which gives visitors a fascinating glimpse into life in Mesolithic-era Britain following the end of the last Ice Age.

At the time people were building their homes on the shore of Lake Flixton, five miles inland from what is now the North Yorkshire coast, Britain was still attached to Europe with climates warming rapidly.

As well as the spectacular headdresses, made of red deer skull and antlers, the exhibition features other Mesolithic-era objects such as axes and weapons used to hunt a range of animals such as red deer and elk.

Also going on display is a wooden paddle – used to transport settlers around the lake – as well as objects for making fire. Beads and pendants made of shale and amber also provide evidence of how people adorned themselves, as do objects used for making cloths from animal skins.

Most of the objects on display are from MAA. They were recovered from excavations conducted at the site by Cambridge archaeologist Professor Grahame Clark. More recently, excavations have been conducted by the archaeologists from the Universities of Chester, Manchester and York.

It is also the first time so many of the artefacts belonging to MAA have been on display side-by-side. Many of the objects are very fragile and can’t be moved, meaning it is a unique opportunity to see such a wide selection of material from the Star Carr site.

Exhibition curator Dr Jody Joy said: “Star Carr is unique. Only a scattering of stone tools normally survive from so long ago; but the waterlogged ground there has preserved bone, antler and wooden objects. It’s here that archaeologists have found the remains of the oldest house in Britain, exotic jewellery and mysterious headdresses.

“This was a time before farming, before pottery, before metalworking – but the people who made their homes there returned to the same place for hundreds of years.

“ ̽��ֱ��most mysterious objects found at Star Carr are 33 deer skull headdresses. Only three similar objects have been discovered elsewhere – all in Germany. Someone has removed parts of the antlers and drilled holes in the skulls, but archaeologists don’t know why. They may have been hunting disguises, they may have been used in ceremonies or dances. We can never know for sure, but this is why Star Carr continues to intrigue us.”

As well as the headdresses, archaeologists have also discovered scatters of flint showing where people made stone tools, and antler points used to hunt and fish. 227 points were found at Star Carr, more than 90pc of all those ever discovered in Britain.

Closer to what was the lake edge (Lake Flixton has long since dried up), there is evidence of Mesolithic-era enterprise including wooden platforms used as walkways and jetties (the earliest known examples of carpentry in Europe) – where boats would have given access to the lake and its two islands.

First discovered in 1947 by an amateur archaeologist, work at Star Carr continues to this day. Unfortunately, recent artefacts are showing signs of decay as changing land use around the site causes the peat where many artefacts have been preserved naturally for millennia to dry out. It is now a race against time for archaeologists to discover more about the site before it is lost.

“Star Carr shows that although life was very different 11,500 years ago, people shared remarkably similar concerns to us,” added Joy. “They needed food, warmth and comfort. They made sense of the world through ritual and religion.

“ ̽��ֱ��people of Star Carr were very adaptable and there is much we can learn from them as we too face the challenges of rapid climate change. There are still many discoveries to be made, but these precious archaeological remains are now threatened by the changing environment.

“As they are so old, the objects from Star Carr are very fragile and they must be carefully monitored and stored. As a result, few artefacts are normally on display. This is a rare opportunity to see so many of these objects side-by-side telling the story of this extraordinary site.”

A Survival Story – Prehistoric Life at Star Carr is on display at the Li Ka Shing Gallery at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing Street, Cambridge, from June 21 to December 30, 2019. Entry is free.

Three 11,500-year-old deer skull headdresses – excavated from a world-renowned archaeological site in Yorkshire – will go on display, one for the first time, at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) from today.

̽��ֱ��most mysterious objects found at Star Carr are 33 deer skull headdresses. Only three similar objects have been discovered elsewhere – all in Germany.

Jody Joy

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

One of the three Mesolithic deer skull headdresses from the new exhibition

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‘Photographing Tutankhamun’ exhibition reveals historical context behind pioneering images

sjr81 — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 08:30:06 +0000

̽��ֱ��exhibition Photographing Tutankhamun has been curated by ̽��ֱ�� of East Anglia (UEA) Egyptologist Dr Christina Riggs and gives a different view on the ‘golden age’ of archaeology and photography in the Middle East.

̽��ֱ��exhibition highlights the work of famous Egyptologist and archaeological photographer Harry Burton and the iconic images he captured during the lengthy excavation of the Pharoah’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Dr Riggs is the first person to study the entire archive of excavation photographs, as well as the first to consider them from the viewpoint of photographic history in the Middle East.

She said: “ ̽��ֱ��exhibition gives a fresh take on one of the most famous archaeology discoveries from the last 100 years. It questions the influence photography has on our perception and provides insight on the historical context of the discovery – a time when archaeology liked to present itself as a science that only Europeans and Americans could do.

“Through the eyes of the camera lens, the exhibition demonstrates the huge input from the Egyptian government and the hundreds of Egyptians working alongside the likes of Harry Burton and Howard Carter. This refreshing approach helps us understand what Tutankhamun meant to Egyptians in the 1920s – and poses the important question of what science looks like and who does it.”

As part of her project, Dr Riggs studied some 1,400 photographs by Burton in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Burton worked for the museum for most of his life, and his personal correspondence in their archives has offered important new insights into his work on the tomb of Tutankhamun – including some of the technical problems, personal tensions, and political issues behind the scenes.

Dr Chris Wingfield, Senior Curator (Archaeology) at MAA, said: "With strong collections of historic photographs documenting the history of archaeology and anthropology, we at MAA are excited about hosting an exhibition that explores the important ways in which photography contributed to – you could even say created – the field. We continue to train Egyptologists and archaeologists here in Cambridge, so this exhibition is an opportunity to think about how these disciplines were practised in the past, and to help shape their futures."

More than two dozen images have been created especially for the exhibition using digital scans from Burton’s original glass-plate negatives, including some never seen before. Also on display are newspaper and publicity materials from the 1920s and beyond, which show how the photographs were used in print. ̽��ֱ��scans have been made by ̽��ֱ��Griffith Institute at the ̽��ֱ�� of Oxford, which is home to excavator Howard Carter’s own records of the excavation, including around 1,800 negatives and a set of photo albums.

̽��ֱ��exhibition comes to Cambridge from ̽��ֱ��Collection in Lincoln, where it debuted in November 2017. It runs from June 14-September 23, 2018. Entry is free.

Iconic photography taken during the decade-long excavation of King Tutankhamun’s tomb has gone on display at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA).

̽��ֱ��exhibition gives a fresh take on one of the most famous archaeology discoveries from the last 100 years.

Christina Riggs

Credit: Copyright ̽��ֱ��Griffith Institute, ̽��ֱ�� of Oxford

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