Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe

The jawbones of enemies killed by the Bamum were hung from these calabashes. These symbols of victory were the used for rituals and considered the dynasty’s regalia. During the colonial period, they became artefacts collected by Europeans, particularly missionaries. Their acquisition led to a break...

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Main Author: Ninon Arbez-Gindre
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: École du Louvre 2024-12-01
Series:Les Cahiers de l'École du Louvre
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cel/35209
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author Ninon Arbez-Gindre
author_facet Ninon Arbez-Gindre
author_sort Ninon Arbez-Gindre
collection DOAJ
description The jawbones of enemies killed by the Bamum were hung from these calabashes. These symbols of victory were the used for rituals and considered the dynasty’s regalia. During the colonial period, they became artefacts collected by Europeans, particularly missionaries. Their acquisition led to a break with their original context and a change in function, and the calabashes were reused for propaganda purposes, particularly to justify the missionaries’ actions in the field and demonstrate their effectiveness. This article examines a set of four Nka’a kügha calabashes from the Bamum Kingdom (Cameroon), collected by the Société des Missions évangéliques de Paris (SMEP) in the 1920s and 1930s and now in the British Museum, and the museums of ethnography in Neuchâtel and Geneva. Their circulation, reuse in different social universes, reconnection with the context of origin and restitution have placed the calabashes at the centre of contemporary museum issues, starting with the exhibition of works made using human remains.
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series Les Cahiers de l'École du Louvre
spelling doaj-art-2a45f6a642fb497480c44c3209f4155a2025-01-30T14:00:23ZfraÉcole du LouvreLes Cahiers de l'École du Louvre2262-208X2024-12-012310.4000/12ydoLes calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en EuropeNinon Arbez-GindreThe jawbones of enemies killed by the Bamum were hung from these calabashes. These symbols of victory were the used for rituals and considered the dynasty’s regalia. During the colonial period, they became artefacts collected by Europeans, particularly missionaries. Their acquisition led to a break with their original context and a change in function, and the calabashes were reused for propaganda purposes, particularly to justify the missionaries’ actions in the field and demonstrate their effectiveness. This article examines a set of four Nka’a kügha calabashes from the Bamum Kingdom (Cameroon), collected by the Société des Missions évangéliques de Paris (SMEP) in the 1920s and 1930s and now in the British Museum, and the museums of ethnography in Neuchâtel and Geneva. Their circulation, reuse in different social universes, reconnection with the context of origin and restitution have placed the calabashes at the centre of contemporary museum issues, starting with the exhibition of works made using human remains.https://journals.openedition.org/cel/35209regaliaCalabashesBamumCameroonsultanatepaganism
spellingShingle Ninon Arbez-Gindre
Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe
Les Cahiers de l'École du Louvre
regalia
Calabashes
Bamum
Cameroon
sultanate
paganism
title Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe
title_full Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe
title_fullStr Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe
title_full_unstemmed Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe
title_short Les calebasses nka’a kügha : du contexte d’origine à la mise en exposition en Europe
title_sort les calebasses nka a kugha du contexte d origine a la mise en exposition en europe
topic regalia
Calabashes
Bamum
Cameroon
sultanate
paganism
url https://journals.openedition.org/cel/35209
work_keys_str_mv AT ninonarbezgindre lescalebassesnkaakughaducontextedoriginealamiseenexpositioneneurope