WORLD CULTURES : OCEANIA
- Object Name
- Canoe
- Description
- This canoe is excellently constructed from planks and dramatically decorated with shells and beautifully carved figures on the prow and stern. The stern has a Janus-headed finial and what we believe to be the carved prow decoration BELUM.C400.1931 has been removed. The canoe was built in the Solomon Islands, and was taken around 1895 by Captain J. Casement and brought to Belfast. It is claimed his reason for appropriating the canoe was that Indigenous islanders had been using it for head-hunting (cannibal expeditions). There is no other evidence for this in the museum’s records. The canoe tells us of the Solomon Islanders, the skill of the craftspeople, as well as the natural materials of the region used to construct it. It also tells a story about the British Navy which was a significant enabler of the British Empire, including actions of theft and violence associated with the acquisition of some World Cultures objects. We have reached out to the Pacific Islands communities, to take advice so that we can update our interpretation and documentation in response to dialogue.
- Place Collected
-
- Catalogue Number
- BELUM.C963
- Notes
- National Museums NI
National Museums NI holds over a million objects in the collection, as well as this we manage the records and associated images for each object through a working database. The national collection has been almost 200 years in the making, and we recognise that thinking about collecting and collections has evolved over this time and continues to evolve. As a result, some of our records may contain language and views that we now consider offensive and unacceptable, for example, reflecting racist attitudes. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to reviewing and updating our records accordingly. Working with researchers, communities and academic partners we are learning more about the stories behind objects, and we are committed to sharing these with our audiences. We welcome feedback. Please email [email protected]