Mohammed has always been a strong man. A caring father and a hard worker, who loves to cook for his family. When Syria descended into war, he and his family decided that it was not safe to remain any longer. Mohammed went ahead and journeyed […]
The long journey of a pair of Syrian sunglasses
Sometimes, the most mundane artefacts hide within them the most poignant stories. What would you, for example, consider to be the value of these sunglasses? They are not some fancy brand, nor have they belonged to someone famous. Indeed, one side bar has broken off […]
Is there a genie in the lamp?
The Newars is one of the more than 130 ethnic groups in the republic of Nepal. In fact, they are considered to be the indigenous population of the Kathmandu Valley. For a number of reasons, the Newari community has attracted attention since the first Westerners […]
Can a garden gate be the symbol of a subculture?
This week, we have invited one of the anthropology students who have created the special exhibition ‘In motion: A different take on nomads’ to write a blog about the exhibition. Last week, you could read about fieldwork. This week, Simone Hasse Stavnsbo writes about fieldwork […]
Field-what kind of work?
The next two weeks, we have invited some of the anthropology students who have created the special exhibition ‘In Motion: A different take on nomads’ to write a blog about their exhibition. This week, Pernille Bertram-Larsen writes about fieldwork and about her group’s exhibition ‘Nomads […]
Disposable artefacts or objects without equal?
In April, Ole Winther, head of department in the Agency for Culture and Palaces, attended a meeting on the future for Danish museums in Malmø, Sweden. During the meeting he said: “We have many, many storage units in Denmark, that are filled with old junk […]
”Loaded with devilry”: The shamanic artefacts of the Haslund-Christensen Collection
It did not take long for the Mongolian assistants to realise that something was terribly wrong. The jingling and rattling sounds coming from the bags on the heavily loaded camel exposed their terrifying cargo: a complete set of shaman equipment. Powerful artefacts imbued with spirits, […]
Bones, skin, and silver: Tantric ritual artefacts
Let’s not beat around the bush. If I say ‘Tantric’, I know what you’ll all think. Something about very gymnastic and prolonged sexy times. Perhaps involving the singer Sting and some incense. As if that is not interesting enough in itself, I am here to […]
The unstoppable horde: How the Mongolian recurve bow created the greatest empire ever
I am imagining it was something akin to the famous ‘Loot Train Attack’ from the latest season of Game of Thrones, where the Dothraki army annihilated the small Lannister force, protecting their wagons filled with gold… First the rumble of hooves like distant thunder. The […]
Lighting up the Ramadan – and the World Cup?
The World Cup has come to an end – at long last to some and way too quickly for others. It has been a year of surprises – England making it to the semifinals for the first time in 28 years, Lionel Messi missing a […]
Can faces be artefacts? Werner Jacobsen’s Mongolian life masks
If you walk through the new special exhibition at Moesgaard Museum, ‘On the steppes of Genghis Khan – Mongolia’s nomads’, you will notice that the mannequins on which the beautiful shaman garbs or the women’s dresses are displayed, are not just any old mannequins. They […]
In a galaxy far, far away…: Khalkh Mongol or Queen Amidala?
I’ll be the first to admit that the Star Wars ‘prequel trilogy’ had issues (*cough* Jar Jar *cough*). But one thing, which certainly inspired me, when I saw the first one back in 1999, was the splendour, intricacy, and (perhaps uncomfortable) beauty of Queen Amidala’s […]
