HISTORICAL SCHOLARS
across the planet- anthropologists, conservationists, and humanitarians have shaped our understanding of what it is to be human. have a look at just a few legendary scholars WHO HAVE provided groundbreaking discoveries.
MARGARET MEAD | ANTHROPOLOGIST
MARGARET MEAD | ANTHROPOLOGIST
Margaret Mead was an American anthropologist best known for her studies of the peoples of Oceania. She also commented on a wide array of societal issues, such as women's rights, nuclear proliferation, race relations, environmental pollution, and world hunger.
JANE GOODALL | CONSERVATIONIST
JANE GOODALL | CONSERVATIONIST
Ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall redefined what it means to be human and set the standard for how behavioral studies are conducted through her work with wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania.
TOBIAS SCHNEEBAUM | ANTHROPOLOGIST
TOBIAS SCHNEEBAUM | ANTHROPOLOGIST
Tobias Schneebaum was an American artist, anthropologist, and AIDS activist. He is recognized for his experiences living and traveling among the Harakmbut people of Peru, and the Asmat people of Papua, Western New Guinea, Indonesia, then known as Irian Jaya.
the future in preservation
explore ancient artifacts with your fingertips from every angle in life-size scale
The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) to create a new way for visitors to interact with the artefacts in the Myth + Magic: Art of the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea exhibition. By developing a new 3D content platform that uses open web standards, the physical exhibits have been transformed into fully interactive digital sculptures. Go on, explore.
BIOGRAPHIES IN BONE
Hear about some of the stories -- the biographies in bone -- that are unfolding through research on the fascinating Duckworth Collection, including the analysis of the diet and journeys taken by the Death Mask Collection and pre-Dynastic Egyptians who lived in the Sahara Desert thousands of years ago.
The Duckworth Laboratory at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies is dedicated to the study of human and primate anatomy and anthropology
Cite: Leverhulme Centre
RAMBARAMPS | Ancestral Effigy
In many Pacific Island cultures, the head is considered the seat of the soul.
It is considered the most powerful part of the body and is often preserved as a relic after death. Among Solomon Islanders, for instance, fish-shaped reliquaries are created to house the skulls of important male ancestors. In Vanuatu, an archipelago near New Guinea, the skulls of the dead become the central component of life-size effigies called rambaramp.
After death, the skull was removed, modeled over with clay, and attached to a surrogate body created out of bamboo, clay, and plant fibers. Although there is debate over whether the rambaramp was intended to be a physical likeness of the individual, people in the community would have recognized the identity of the figure through patterns painted on the skull and body. These patterns were associated with the status of the deceased. Rambaramp were created only for men and only for those of the highest rank, usually chiefs or warriors.
Once completed, the rambaramp would be set up in the men’s house. By offering a place for the spirit to reside, the figure facilitated the continuing presence of the ancestor, who would, in turn, ensure the well-being of the community. Because they were made largely of vegetal materials, the bodies of the rambarampwould eventually decay. However, the skull—the most vital part of the figure—would continue to serve as a representative of the ancestor long after the body was gone.
Cite: www.learner.org/
A Moai Kavakava Ancestor Figure from Easter Island
Oceanic art specialist Bruno Claessens explains how this wooden figure — brought to Europe in 1868 from the most isolated island in the world — has had an impact on art history that resonates far beyond its mysterious origins. For centuries, explorers and archaeologists have speculated about the enigmatic giant stone statues on Easter Island. Explanations for their existence have ranged from the idea that they were offerings to the gods to the theory that they marked freshwater sources.
The Hooper moai kavakava figure, Rapa Nui, Polynesia. Height: 44 cm (17⅜ in). Sold for €850,000 on 10 April 2019 at Christie’s in Paris
Cite: Christies.com