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 […]
In the beginning of September, the above shoe was the main character of quite a mystery. The shoe had been found by anthropologist Mette Bovin in the desert where she was conducting fieldwork among the nomadic Wodaabe people. The string at the back of the […]
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 – […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
English playwright Arthur Wing Pinero said that ‘where there’s tea there’s hope’. In many societies, drinking tea is a social event; sometimes even a ritual; something to gather around, something that organises the day, a tradition, a cultural practice. And around the globe, tea is […]
The nomadic tribe of Wodaabe, “under the taboo of purity”, travel the Southern edge of Sahara as cattle-herders. Renown for the cultivation of beauty, the Woodabe believe themselves to be the most beautiful people in the world! This dagger, produced by a Hausa smith, was […]
So, here we’ve got the dromedary equivalent of “Pimp My Ride” – a dromedary saddle used for festive events! The saddle is only to be used by men. The three pointy ends can be used to hold on to, but also work as hangers for […]
ethnographica 