part of APPENDIX F
Basle, Switzerland
Museum of Cultures
Museum der Kulturen
Augustinergasse 2
CH-4051 Basel
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 61 266 55 00
Fax: +41 61 266 56 05
E Mail: info@mkb.ch
The Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum for Ethnology - now Museum of Cultures) was founded in 1849 to house the treasures brought back by travelling merchants from all over the world. From the early years of the 20th century, the Museum expanded its collection through its own efforts, sending out expeditions, making it especially strong on Indonesia including Bali, Papua Newguinea, Oceania, precolumbian America and Tibet.
There is a tiny but well-chosen collection of 16 Andamanese artifacts, purchased from commercial dealers mostly in 1908 with the skull II b 298 added in 1929. Bow II b 1889 was given to the museum as a gift in 1956. The Andaman items are not accessible to the public. It consists of the following items:
II b 179
North Great Andamanese bow, decorated with a scratched cross-cross
pattern
II b 180, 181, 182
Arrows, respectively 91, 92 and 115 cm (36, 36-1/4 and 45-1/4 in.)
long. With iron nail and wooden points
II b 183
The lower jaw of a Great Andamanese, covered with burial ochre and
almost certainly buried for some time according to Andamanese
tradition. Also in accordance with Andamanese tradition it would have
been unearthed again after all flesh had decayed within 6-12 months,
cleaned and decorated with tassles, ribbons and strings of and
attached sea-shells. The bone is painted in criss-cross pattern in
white clay. Such ancestral bones were traditionally carried about by
the Andamanese and also sometimes given away as present. The fibre
material of this specimen is in such immaculate condition that the
piece may never have been carried around in this manner but was
perhaps prepared especially for sale in the late 19th or early 20th
century. The museum purchased the item from the dealer Umlauff of
Hamburg, Germany, in 1908. Remarkable is the connection with the
skull II b 298
II b 186, 188
Great Andamanese bracelets
II b 187
Jarawa(?) skirt made of dentalia held together with string
II b 189
Great Andamanese carrier bag
II b 190
Great Andamanese belt made of pandanus leaves
II b 191
Great Andamanese bracelet
II b 192
Great Andamanese decorative tassles for arm or leg
II b 193
Great Andamanese leaves used to cover female genitalia
II b 195
Great Andamanese basket
II b 196
A Great Andamanese sleeping mat
II b 298
Although purchased separately in 1929, this skull painted with white
clay criss-cross pattern is almost certainly from the same individual
as jaw II b 183. The skull fits the jaw perfectly and shows identical
traces of ochre and white clay decoration
II b 1889
Great Andamanese bow
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Last changed 06 December 2003