Borys Malkin (1917-2009) is arguably one of the most important yet least known twentieth-cen-tury collectors of Indigenous material culture from South America, with especially numerous collecting... Show moreBorys Malkin (1917-2009) is arguably one of the most important yet least known twentieth-cen-tury collectors of Indigenous material culture from South America, with especially numerous collecting expeditions to the Amazon region. In fact, his contact with museums worldwide and the systematic way in which he collected and sold his materials can be characterized as a form of wholesale collecting that rested upon the creation of chains of supply and demand typical of a market economy. In this article, we explore the ways in which Malkin engaged with Indigenous peoples, intermediaries, and museums in South America, North America and in Europe in order to create this network of “producers” or “suppliers”, on the one hand, and potential buyers on the other. We do so by presenting information about the scope and breadth of his Indigenous collections, and then investigating his modus operandi. We conclude that the successful spreading of his collections in various museums and the constant pres-ence in exhibitions of objects from collections formed by Malkin shaped, in a significant way, the face of Lowland South America in ethno-graphic museums of the Global North. Show less
Lombardo, U.; Arroyo-Kalin, M.; Schmidt, M.; Huisman, H.; Lima, H.P.; de Paula Moraes, C.; ... ; Teixeira, W.G. 2022
Feather-decorated hammocks from the Amazon have been documented in travel reports and incorporated into museum collections from the nineteenth up to the early twentieth century. Here we present an... Show moreFeather-decorated hammocks from the Amazon have been documented in travel reports and incorporated into museum collections from the nineteenth up to the early twentieth century. Here we present an analysis of five of these hammocks, housed in European museums. Through an object-centered approach, combining data obtained by direct observation of museum objects and associated documentation, historic travel reports and ethnographic literature, new information was obtained on the hammocks, such as possible areas of origin and indigenous producer groups. Results show that the production of these hammocks occurred in an area larger than traditionally believed, and that indigenous peoples at times decorated these hammocks in such a way as to express elements of their culture, imprinting ethnic markers onto artifacts that were many times considered as non-indigenous due to their production in transcultural contexts. Show less
WHO ARE WE? OR A PROFILE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY IN BRAZIL: FIRST APPROACHESIn the last twenty years, archeological academic-scientific training has grown exponen-tially in... Show moreWHO ARE WE? OR A PROFILE OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY IN BRAZIL: FIRST APPROACHESIn the last twenty years, archeological academic-scientific training has grown exponen-tially in Brazil, culminating in the recognition of the profession in 2018. However, little is known about the demographic profiles of people working in the area, as well as of students in the process of training, in undergraduate and graduate levels. By updating some data from previous studies, in this manuscript we present the results of an initial survey on the professional profile in Brazilian archeology, which includes information on the trajectory of education, gender, nationality and re-search themes. This initiative allows us to outline the challenges of inclusion and representativeness in the exercise of the profession, whose reflections will assist us in the conceiving of practical measures for a change in this situation in the future. Show less
