https://sputnikglobe.com/20230618/sacred-ancient-masks-returned-to-south-american-ethnic-group-after-century-long-absence-1111266310.html
'Sacred' Ancient Masks Returned to South American Ethnic Group After Century-Long Absence
'Sacred' Ancient Masks Returned to South American Ethnic Group After Century-Long Absence
Sputnik International
The masks are used to "perform ceremonies” by the tribe, but while in Germany, were treated with a potentially dangerous disinfectant and it is unclear whether they can be worn safely on one's face anymore.
2023-06-18T19:01+0000
2023-06-18T19:01+0000
2023-06-18T19:01+0000
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A pair of 15th Century wooden masks originating from a South American Kogi tribe in modern day Colombia have been returned after spending more than a century in German museums.According to media reports, the masks were bought in 1915 from the son of a Kogi priest by German ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuss.This week, however, the masks were handed over by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Colombian President Gustavo Petro during a ceremony in Berlin.The transfer took place after the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, a German federal government body that oversees museums in Berlin, determined that the masks are sacred objects to their original owners and thus should not have been bought in the first place.The media outlet pointed out, however, that the container holding the masks was repeatedly sprayed in the 1940s and 1950s with a disinfectant that got banned in the EU over a decade ago as it caused breathing difficulties and was potentially carcinogenic.Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, reportedly told the newspaper that the masks were "detoxified" earlier this year and can be handled without wearing gloves or PPE masks, though there is "some doubt" over whether these objects "can be directly worn in front of the face."
https://sputnikglobe.com/20221129/london-museum-starts-process-of-returning-looted-benin-artifacts-back-to-nigeria-1104813547.html
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sacred masks, cultural aftefacts
sacred masks, cultural aftefacts
'Sacred' Ancient Masks Returned to South American Ethnic Group After Century-Long Absence
The masks are used to "perform ceremonies” by the tribe, but while in Germany, were treated with a potentially dangerous disinfectant and it is unclear whether they can be worn safely on one's face anymore.
A pair of 15th Century wooden masks originating from a South American Kogi tribe in modern day Colombia have been returned after spending more than a century in German museums.
According to media reports, the masks were bought in 1915 from the son of a Kogi priest by German ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuss.
This week, however, the masks were handed over by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Colombian President Gustavo Petro during a ceremony in Berlin.
The transfer took place after the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, a German federal government body that oversees museums in Berlin, determined that the masks are sacred objects to their original owners and thus should not have been bought in the first place.
"They are not a historical artefact, they are alive," Kogi representative Arregoces Conchacala Zalabata said as quoted by a British newspaper. "With the masks we perform ceremonies to connect and work with the spirit of the Sun, the waters, the mountains and the world’s many species."
The media outlet pointed out, however, that the container holding the masks was repeatedly sprayed in the 1940s and 1950s with a disinfectant that got banned in the EU over a decade ago as it caused breathing difficulties and was potentially carcinogenic.
29 November 2022, 10:02 GMT
Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, reportedly told the newspaper that the masks were "detoxified" earlier this year and can be handled without wearing gloves or PPE masks, though there is "some doubt" over whether these objects "can be directly worn in front of the face."
