CAG on travel: El Valle de Antón, Panama

Local golden frog

Road trips in Panama share very similar characteristics of having very vague directions. There are hardly any street names, and signage... no way. On the whole, there was a lot of - turn left, then turn left, then turn left, which was provided from the ever helpful, Google maps. When driving from Santa Catalina to El Valle, luckily the drive was much shorter and we arrived without much fuss.

The main focal point of El Valle is the beautiful volcano, which is the most recently active volcano in Panama. It is also much cooler in El Valle than other more typically humid and very hot parts of lowland Panama.

El Valle from afar

There's really just one road for the town, and a large food and crafts mercado, called the 'Sunday Market', but it was open the whole time we were in town.

The main attractions for the area are the lush vegetation, the wildlife and especially the birds, waterfalls and thermal pools.

Las Mozas hike

Though the trip was very short, we still got to see some waterfalls, indigenous petroglyphs, and some really interesting birds (there are about 500 species in the area).

La Piedra Pintada

At the petroglyphs called 'La Piedra Pintada' (close to La India Dormida), a local Kuna woman explained the meaning of the undeciphered petroglyphs to us. Her interpretation included a bit on the Coclean cultures that existed millions of years ago, and how the images portrayed the different gods that people believed in. She also mentioned the arrival of the Spanish armies. The real interpretation of the petroglyphs remains unknown as the languages and cultures of the Cocle region were lost long ago, and even her interpretation was a struggle for me. First thing in the morning, saying my Spanish was shaky, would be kind.

Anthropology events at the Horniman

I just came across a set of events at the Horniman Museum under the Collections People Stories: Anthropology series of talks. The first theme presented will be Food and Feasting, which focuses on Food Anthropology. As a growing discipline, Food Anthropology focuses on the role of food in societies, the ability to create social bonds through food, as well as discussing food memories and addressing them through inter-cultural exchange. In all honesty, I can only remember one person as an undergrad who studied food anthropology, but apparently things are taking off for the sub-discipline (as much as anything has taken off for anthropology in recent years).

The first talk in the series is presented by Helen Saberi and called ‘Tea Drinking Along the Silk Road’. The history and different customs of tea drinking will be covered, and the talk takes place tonight at 7p! Unfortunately, it seems as though the free event has been oversubscribed, but of even more interest to me is the next talk being presented by Dr. Andy Mills called ‘Western Polynesian Food and Drink: Acts of Power’, May 21, 2013, 7p-8:30p.

Fijian kava bowl, Horniman collection

This talk will use examples of Fijian and other Western Polynesian objects from the Horniman collection to convey the messages of power that are tied to the ceremonial consumption of the drink kava, as well as feasting ceremonies where consumption was power.

http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/event/western-polynesian-food-and-drink-acts-of-power

CAG on travel: Santa Catalina, Panama

That machete was already in the tree

During my epic journey to Panama, I saw quite a few amazing places. First one on the list was Santa Catalina, in the Veraguas Province. Santa Catalina is a beach town, surfer spot, and really well kept secret... for now. There are literally two major streets with a few hotels, restaurants, and a couple of bars, so you get to know the people in town very quickly.

Little friend on the first night

We stayed at the Hotel Santa Catalina, which totally lived up to the reviews and had really amazing views, food, and service (when people were around).

View of Hotel Santa Catalina

The gate to the beach from the hotel

The surf was also really amazing, and it was the first time I've ever surfed water so warm you didn't need a wet-suit.

View from the beach

Tree roots visible at low tide

We borrowed bicycles from the hotel, and I had a very typical Panamanian day. I wanted to organize a scuba trip, and so I biked to the nearby scuba shop, but no one was there. I was told to go to a nearby restaurant at 2p to find the scuba man. At 2p, he wasn't there, and I was sent to find him down in town again. Still, he wasn't there.

Then we decided to go for a very late lunch, which as usual, we ordered and it took over an hour to come (at least you can say the fish was super fresh). After lunch, I decided to explore for the scuba man again, only to find him and be told that no boats would be doing scuba trips to Isla Coiba, because of a city-wide boat inspection taking place. Basically, the typical way of interacting with Panamanians. Very helpful, non-direct answers, and running around in circles, while you wait a really long time. But it's vacation, so not that big of a deal. We were there for swimming, yoga, crazy nights at the 'No Worries' bar. Hakuna Matata!

Sign at La Vida Buena, before taking a yoga class

CAG on museums: The Hopi mask auction and cultural ownership

Hopi Woman Making Pottery, 1910 Copyright Detroit Publishing Company

The auction that took place in the Paris auction house Neret-Minet Tessier & Sarrou on April 12th as raised issues of cultural heritage ownership, indigenous religious considerations, and property law as it applies to objects. The American Indian lot of Hopi and other masks sold for 752,000 Euros, which was three times the general asking price. The most expensive single mask sold for 160,000 Euros, and 66 masks out of 70 were sold. The Hopi Indians are a federally recognized American Indian tribe living on a reservation (once shared with the Navajo Nation) in Northeastern Arizona where the 19th and 20th century masks were collected around the 1930s and 1940s.

The masking culture of the Hopi has to do with their religious ceremonies, which are considered sacred and are kept secret from those not participating in the events. These masks are considered ‘sacred objects’, which means that images of the objects should not be printed, masks cannot be sold, and the ownership of masks by non-Hopi collectors or museums is also considered offensive by the tribe. In keeping with the ideas of the tribe’s religious beliefs, I am not including any images of the masks in this post, but some of the masks that went on sale can be seen by following the link to this article.

This kachina appears in the Home Dance or Niman Ceremony.
Kachina dolls like this one embody the characteristics of the spiritual
Kachina Ceremony where one would see the masks, but can be
created for trade or just as treasured objects

The sale of sacred Indian artefacts has been outlawed in the United States since 1990, as the upholding of American Indian religious values has been written into the law, but in France this is not the case. To stop the sale of these cultural artifacts the Hopi entered a court battle, but lost and the sale proceeded. The masks made of wood, horsehair, feathers, and leather, which were brilliantly colored and decorated went to private collections, French museums, and one mask was purchased by a French foundation to be returned to the Hopi.

Bear Kachina by Clyde Harris. Copyright Wright’s Indian Art.
Finely carved kachina figures are very detailed and expensive

These issues of ownership, restitution, and honoring the religious traditions of indigenous cultures have always been issues that interest me. They are also difficult subjects to bridge from the perspective of someone who works in a museum, while also wanting to balance the needs and wishes of the cultural owners of these objects. The French auction is another example of a long line of arguments over cultural heritage that have been pursued over the years (i.e. Parthenon marbles, Rosetta Stone, etc.), which place museums, collectors, and auction houses at odds with source communities around the world seeking restitution of their objects.

CAG on travel: England to Panama

From this…

Hill climbing in Buxton, England

To this…

Post-surf day in Santa Catalina, Panama

...in two weeks! Sometimes you just need some sun.

CAG on travel: NYC nostalgia

Luckily I'm off on holiday, and my first stop was New York City. Home to many of my friends and a lot of fun memories, I've been taking advantage of seeing as many people as possible and basically eating my way through New York.

Zucker's

One of my first stops in Manhattan was Zucker's in Midtown for a bagel. Eating bagels in New York is almost a right of passage. There are so many types of bagels to choose from, different spreads, and ways to have your bagel, that I was completely overwhelmed. I finally chose a tofu spinach spread on a wholewheat bagel, that made me feel thoroughly Californian.

Luckily I was also accompanied by my friend, guide, and artist extraordinaire, Jess.

Then we were off to a stroll in the incredibly sunny and spring-like Central Park.

Then on to a little shopping in Soho- the only place I actually know well in Manhattan!

California love!

Being ridiculous with friends at the DASH store Soho

Surprisingly on this trip, I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn. Many of my New York friends live in Brooklyn, but I have always considered Manhattan my main port of call when visiting the city. This time around it was so different to not only stay with friends in Brooklyn, but go out there, shop there, and even run in Prospect Park. It was all pretty new to me and very satisfying to feel like I was exploring a new place despite having visited New York so many times.

Tooker Alley, a dark moody Brooklyn bar

My next night out provided some more Brooklyn love at Montero's Bar. There were some real gem old school telephone booths, a wry bar hostess that you aren't sure loves or hates you, and some unexpected karaoke for the end of the night. Overall, my love for America was rekindled. Just to give a bit of insight into how a night can be jointly amazing and insane, here's a video of the bar lady taking on the karaoke mic, while continuing to serve drinks.

CAG on museums: Kangas at the British Museum

There is currently a temporary exhibition on at the British Museum that features the kanga and other textile traditions from south and east Africa. These garments are principally women's wear, and can act as a social commentary on politics, religion, or other social issues.

Modern kanga prints differ considerably from their nineteenth century version. Originally made by sewing together printed handkerchiefs, today's rectangular textiles have a continuous printed border and design in the middle, and are usually very colorful. Events such as the American presidential election in 2008 inspired the production of Barack Obama printed kangas to celebrate the election of an American president with Kenyan heritage.

These African textiles can be seen in Room 91 of the British Museum until April 21st. Below is a video describing the production and use of kanga in Tanzania.

Kanga For Women

CAG on museums: The Cuming Museum fire and protecting collections

Last week a very unfortunate incident occurred at the Cuming Museum in Southwark. There was a fire that destroyed the roof of the Cuming Museum, and two of the three displays. Only a total of 1% of the museum’s collection is on display, but there is possibly also a lot of water damage to the collections that were in storage.

The British Museum had objects on loan to the Cuming at the time of the fire. There were two glazed stoneware ‘Wally birds’ made by the Martin Brothers in 1890 on loan for the temporary exhibition Birds, Beast, and Beyond: The ceramic artistry of the Martin brothers in the Arts and Crafts period. Though the condition of the loaned stoneware birds is still being reported as unknown, these incidents have really brought to light the importance of insuring objects and the safety of museum premises.

At the moment, I’m helping with an exhibition going up in the Bloomberg Gallery London in collaboration with the Shipley Art Gallery. The display of the work of a British contemporary artist and collections from the Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums will:

‘…engage visitors with new ways of presenting and looking at both the historical and the commonplace, posing a fresh and innovative way of interpreting ethnographic collections.’

Valuating the objects going on loan from our ethnographic collections has been really difficult and the task has come at very short notice.

Fijian staff

Tongan headrest

I have had to quickly do the best I can to valuate objects with a very rich collection history that are important to the community of the North. Insuring objects for loan can always be fraught with more than a few concerns for the safety of collections, and the Cuming Museum incident really puts the process into perspective.

African stool/headrest

Model Northwest Coast totem pole