People on Sumba depend on the goodwill of the ancestors and in the Zaizo ritual, the requests of the living flow through the music and ultimately reach the ancestor spirits. As I wrote in the last post about gongs, Zaizo rituals related to the ancestors […]
All posts tagged: collections
Repost: Beware the angry elf!
It is continually important to warn about angry elves; thus we hereby bring a repost of the Nisse-post from December 2018. Who says Christmas has to be this happy time, where everybody revels in candles, presents, and family comfort, and where you might meet a […]
Chasing the Csodaszarvas
When I came across this beautiful ceramic decoration in the museum‘s Ethnographic Collections, I mistakenly thought it was a Christmas decoration – something that would help me write a relevant contribution to the blog seeing as Christmas is very much upon us. A seemingly flying reindeer […]
Additions to EA748 Wodaabe, Niger
As you might have seen on Instagram, we were recently handed over a number of beautiful calabashes and lids by Mette Bovin as an addition to her overwhelmingly rich collection from Wodaabe, EA748. Today we invite you to enjoy the beauty of the calabash carvings […]
EA900-0031 Claydoll
In the beginning of October our last blog post presented a pair of fluorescent green foam shoes from Tanzania. Through a conversation with curator Thea Skaanes*, the reader was invited to ponder the importance of shoes in both every day and ritual life. Today, we […]
Putting the shoe on the other foot – or putting experience before beauty
Moesgaard Museum’s ethnographic collections boasts a great number of fantastical footwear from all over the world! Many of these beautiful shoes have been featured in great numbers on ethnographica, and soon even more – more than 230 different pairs of shoes to be exact – […]
For you to adore
It would not be an odd thought that decorating the body, crafting jewellery and, more generally, spending time on beauty was a sign of abundance of ressources in a community. However, decorations and handicrafts are seldom only a cherry on the top but most often […]
Summer equals festival season – but what should you wear if you don’t want to be caught dead in a ‘bøllehat’?
Summer is finally upon us! And as the days become longer and warmer it becomes important to take precautions when stepping outside in the harsh scorching sunlight. For years Danish authorities have been trying to get Danes to take care and seek shelter from the […]
All my bags are packed
At the museum, we are looking forward to the summer season. Guests from all over the world will visit us and our beautiful city, and we are more than ready to welcome them! Hopefully they will save a little space in their bags for nice […]
In the aftermath of a superstar
I have this fantasy. It might seem a little odd, but it goes like this: I have made friends with someone who used to be famous and popular. Someone, who has stepped out of the spotlight. Perhaps because of age. Yes, he or she has […]
The devil is in the detail
Take a good look at this figure. It might look like a harmless chameleon-like sculpture, beautifully carved in black ivory wood, but you better be careful around it, because it is in fact something completely different. The name of the figure is nailu and it […]
Holy men and unwashed children – thoughts from an internship at MOMU
Picture this: It’s Monday. You check your phone. It’s 9 in the morning and you just took a five-minute drive in a red Peugeot with two of your colleagues. Calendar-wise it is the middle of May, but you’re all draped in sweaters, heavy coats and […]
ethnographica 