By its name alone, you get the impression of something powerful. Pwoom itok! With characteristic cone-shaped eyes with holes around the sides, colourful decorations, a crown of feathers, and a slightly anticipating facial expression, the mask is meant to be worn by a dancer, resembling an old, wise man, […]
Month: May 2015

In Other Shoes – Wooden slippers from Singapore
In Tuxen’s shoe collection we come across a lot of different shoe materials. This pair contains both wood, car tires and slightly rusty nails! “Wooden slippers from Singapore, red painted. Given to me in the spring of 1957 by Dr. Marshall Laird, Singapore, as a […]

Gandao Forefather Figure – Pakistan
When first seeing this Gandao forefather figure, I thought to myself – why does he look so worried? Standing in front of him at the museum, and maybe I should add that we are actually the same hight, I got a sense of reverence. But I […]

In Other Shoes – Macedonian Pointy Shoes
In collector Søren Ludvig Tuxen’s notes, he wrote the following in 1997: “Macedonian pointy shoes, made from buffalo skin. Originally bought as new in Prileys on July 7th, 1955, at the price of 400 dinars. In general, people today wear similar shoes made from rubber. We […]

Pende Mbangu Mask – DR Congo
So, I don’t know about you guys, but often when something bad happens to me, I can’t help but wonder: Why me? Personally, I think the Pende people from DR Congo have come up with an answer that makes just as mush sense as any […]

In Other Shoes – Finnish reindeer shoes
About these comfy looking shoes, S. L. Tuxen wrote: “Laplandic shoes. Reindeer shoes from Finland. Bought in a store in Taka-Lappi, Svalo (69° N) in Northern Finland, August 1th 1947 in exchange for 500 mark. According to Valentin Jensen (1957) the shoes are slightly touristy […]

Bisj Poles – Papua New Guinea
You might be familiar with the colourful totem poles of Native Americans, with carved out masks and animals – but have you ever seen a Papua New Guinean bisj pole like the ones here? Collected by Aksel Bojsen-Møller in 1955, these poles tell the story of an old […]

In Other Shoes – Finnish Naever Shoes
Did you ever buy a new pair of shoes, but never actually wear them because they were just too uncomfortable? We guess shoe collector S. L. Tuxen did! About these beautiful, but probably quite nasty to wear, shoes Tuxen wrote: “Finnish naever shoes in birch […]