The Missiemuseum in Steyl (NL) has a series of five modeled skulls from the Sepik-area in Papua New Guinea on display from the collection of missionary brothers of the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD). Paul Voogt studied their provenance.
The research focused on the following questions:
- What was the spiritual function of the objects in the community of origin at the time?
- How were they collected?
- What was their ideological function for the mission and how were they displayed in the Missiemuseum?
- Could they have a function as mediators in a new relationship between “us” and “them”?
- What should be done with the skulls? Should they be returned?
- Is it appropriate to show them in the museum?
- What does materials research on the skulls tell us about their provenance?
Conclusion:
- The current SVD and SSpS have a very different view of the world and would prefer to part with these reminders of their less enlightened times. But that is not so easy. In the villages where the skulls originally came from, there is no desire for restitution. Nor is the National Museum of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby keen to have them back.
